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MACMILLAN'S  STANDARD  LIBRARY 


Little  Cvaitor  to  tl)t 


"  Miss  Fanny  Glen  detested  a  masterful  man." 


Jitttle  Craitor 
to  the  <South 


>€  A    WAR.. TIME    COMEDY 

With   a. 
X  TRAGIC    INTERLUDE  *• 

toy 


NEW    YORK 

GROSSET  <&  DUNLAP 
PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  1903, 
BY  CYRUS  TOWNSEND  BRADY. 

COPYRIGHT,  1904, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  February,  1904.   Reprinted 
August,  1904  ;  March,  1907. 


Xartoaofi  $rrt« 

J.  8.  Cashing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  <fe  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


Ps 

113.0 


Faithful  and  Efficient  of  Coadjutors 


PREFACE 

"  THE  tragic  interlude "  in  this  little  war-time 
comedy  of  the  affections  really  happened  as  I 
have  described  it.  The  men  who  went  to  their 

e/> 

£j        death    beside    the    Housatonic    in  Charleston   har- 

)..-;» 

>.        bor    were    Lieutenant    George   F.   Dixon    of  the 
^5 

Twenty-first    Alabama    Infantry,    in    command ; 

M 

Captain    J.    F.    Carlson    of  Wagoner's    Battery ; 
and   Seamen    Becker,  Simpkins,  Wicks,  Collins, 

<<r 

",„       and  Ridgway  of  the  Confederate  Navy,  all  volun- 

c\i 

>      teers.     These  names  should  be  written  in  letters 

of  gold  on  the  roll  of  heroes.     No  more  gallant 

exploit  was  ever  performed.      The  qualities  and 

°      characteristics  of  that  death  trap,  the  David,  were 

Q      well  known  to  everybody.     The  history  of  former 

GO 

UJ      attempts  to  work  her  is  accurately  set  down  in 
S     the  text  of  the  story.     Dixon  and  his  men  should 
**     be   remembered   with    Decatur,   Gushing,   Nields, 
and  Hobson. 

9 


449759 


jo  PREFACE 

The  torpedo  boat  was  found  after  the  war 
lying  on  the  bottom  of  the  harbor,  about  one 
hundred  feet  from  the  wreck  of  the  Housatonic, 
with  her  bow  pointing  toward  the  sloop  of  war 
and  with  every  man  of  her  crew  dead  at  his  post, 
— just  as  they  all  expected. 

I  shall  be  happy  if  this  novel  serves  to  call 
renewed  attention  to  this  splendid  exhibition  of 
American  heroism.  Had  they  not  fought  for  a 
cause  which  was  lost  they  would  still  be  remem 
bered,  as,  in  any  event,  they  ought  to  be. 

For  the  rest,  here  is  a  love  story  in  which  the 
beautiful  Southern  girl  does  not  espouse  the  brave 
Union  soldier,  or  the  beautiful  Northern  girl  the 
brave  Southern  soldier.  They  were  all  Southern, 
all  true  to  the  South,  and  they  all  stayed  so 
except  Admiral  Vernon,  and  he  does  not  count. 


CYRUS   TOWNSEND   BRADY. 


BROOKLYN,  N.Y., 
February,  1904. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Hero  versus  Gentleman          .  .  .15 

II.  She  Hates  them  Both    .          .  .  •        33 

III.  A  Strife  in  Magnanimity         .  .  .51 

IV.  Opportunities  Embraced          .  .  .65 
V.  What  happened  in  the  Strong  Room  .        8 1 

VI.  An  Engine  of  Destruction       .  .  .103 

VII.  The  Hour  and  the  Man         .  .  1 1 5 

VIII.  Death  out  of  the  Deep  .          .  .  .125 

IX.  Miserable  Pair  and  Miserable  Night  .      141 

X.  A  Stubborn  Proposition           .  .  .157 

XI.  The  Confession  that  Cleared  .  .  .171 

XII.  The  Culprit  is  Arrested           .  .  .185 

XIII.  Companions  in  Misery .          .  .  .199 

XIV.  The  Woman  Explains  .          .  .  .223 
XV.  The  General's  Little  Comedy  .  .241 


iz 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

'«  Miss  Fanny  Glen  detested  a  masterful  man  " 

Frontispiece 

PAGE 

"  « Ah,  Sempland,  have  you  told  your  little  tale  ? '  "        43 
"  The  door  was  suddenly  flung  open  "         .          .        95 

«'  Poor  little   Fanny   Glen  .    .   .   she  had  lost  on 

every  hand  ".          .          .          •          .  153 

" « You  were  a  traitor  to  the  South  !'   said  General 

Beauregard,  coldly"          .          .          .          .191 

«« 'Would  they  shoot  me  ? '   she  inquired  "  .          .      219 


CHAPTER    I 

HERO   VERSUS   GENTLEMAN 


tittle  ^Traitor 
to  the  jSouth 


CHAPTER  I 

HERO    VERSUS    GENTLEMAN 

Miss  FANNY  GLEN'S  especial  detestation 
was  an  assumption  of  authority  on  the  part 
of  the  other  sex.  If  there  was  a  being  on 
earth  to  whom  she  would  not  submit,  it  was 
to  a  masterful  man  ;  such  a  man  as,  if  ap 
pearances  were  a  criterion,  Rhett  Sempland 
at  that  moment  assumed  to  be. 

B  17 


1 8     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

The  contrast  between  the  two  was  amus 
ing,  or  would  have  been  had  not  the  atmos 
phere  been  so  surcharged  with  passionate 
feeling,  for  Rhett  Sempland  was  six  feet 
high  if  he  was  an  inch,  while  Fanny  Glen 
by  a  Procrustean  extension  of  herself  could 
just  manage  to  cover  the  five-foot  mark ; 
yet  such  was  the  spirit  permeating  the 
smaller  figure  that  there  seemed  to  be  no 
great  disparity,  from  the  standpoint  of  com 
batants,  between  them  after  all. 

Rhett  Sempland  was  deeply  in  love  with 
Miss  Fanny  Glen.  His  full  consciousness 
of  that  fact  shaded  his  attempted  mastery  by 
ever  so  little. 

He  was  sure  of  the  state  of  his  affections 
and  by  that  knowledge  the  weaker,  for 
Fanny  Glen  was  not  at  all  sure  that  she  was 
in  love  with  Rhett  Sempland.  That  is  to 
say,  she  had  not  yet  realized  it;  perhaps 


HERO  VERSUS  GENTLEMAN       19 

better,  she  had  not  yet  admitted  the  exist 
ence  of  a  reciprocal  passion  in  her  own 
breast  to  that  she  had  long  since  learned  had 
sprung  up  in  his.  By  just  that  lack  of  ad 
mission  she  was  stronger  than  he  for  the 
moment. 

When  she  discovered  the  undoubted  fact 
that  she  did  love  Rhett  Sempland  her  views 
on  the  mastery  of  man  would  probably  alter 
—  at  least  for  a  time !  Love,  in  its  fresh 
ness,  would  make  her  a  willing  slave ;  for 
how  long,  events  only  could  determine.  For 
some  women  a  lifetime,  for  others  but  an 
hour,  can  elapse  before  the  chains  turn  from 
adornments  to  shackles. 

The  anger  that  Miss  Fanny  Glen  felt  at 
this  particular  moment  gave  her  a  temporary 
reassurance  as  to  some  questions  which  had 
agitated  her  —  how  much  she  cared,  after  all, 
for  Lieutenant  Rhett  Sempland,  and  did  she 


20     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

like  him  better  than  Major  Harry  Lacy  ? 
Both  questions  were  instantly  decided  in  the 
negative  —  for  the  time  being.  She  hated 
Rhett  Sempland ;  per  contra,  at  that  moment, 
she  loved  Harry  Lacy.  For  Harry  Lacy 
was  he  about  whom  the  difference  began. 
Rhett  Sempland,  confident  of  his  own  affec 
tion  and  hopeful  as  to  hers,  had  attempted, 
with  masculine  futility  and  obtuseness,  to 
prohibit  the  further  attentions  of  Harry 
Lacy. 

Just  as  good  blood,  au  fond,  ran  in 
Harry  Lacy's  veins  as  in  Rhett  Sempland's, 
but  Lacy,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
ancestors,  had  mixed  his  with  the  water 
that  is  not  water  because  it  is  fire. 

He  "  crooked  the  pregnant  hinges "  of 
the  elbow  without  cessation,  many  a  time 
and  oft,  and  all  the  vices  —  as  they  usually 
do  —  followed  en  train.  One  of  the  oldest 


HERO  VERSUS  GENTLEMAN       21 

names  in  the  Carolinas  had  been  dragged 
in  the  dust  by  this  latest  and  most  degen 
erate  scion  thereof.  Nay,  in  that  dust  Lacy 
had  wallowed  —  shameless,  persistent,  beast- 
like. 

To  Lacy,  therefore,  the  Civil  War  came 
as  a  godsend,  as  it  had  to  many  another 
man  in  like  circumstances,  for  it  afforded 
another  and  more  congenial  outlet  for  the 
wild  passion  beating  out  from  his  heart. 
The  war  sang  to  him  of  arms  and  men  — 
ay,  as  war  has  sung  since  Troia's  day,  of 
women,  too. 

He  did  not  give  over  the  habits  of  a 
lifetime,  which,  though  short,  had  been 
hard,  but  he  leavened  them,  temporarily 
obliterated  them  even,  by  splendid  feats  of 
arms.  Fortune  was  kind  to  him.  Oppor 
tunity  smiled  upon  him.  Was  it  running 
the  blockade  off  Charleston,  or  passing 


22     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

through  the  enemy's  lines  with  despatches 
in  Virginia,  or  heading  a  desperate  attack 
on  Little  Round  Top  in  Pennsylvania,  he 
always  won  the  plaudits  of  men,  often  the 
love  of  women.  And  in  it  all  he  seemed 
to  bear  a  charmed  life. 

When  the  people  saw  him  intoxicated 
on  the  streets  of  Charleston  that  winter  of 
'63  they  remembered  that  he  was  a  hero. 
When  some  of  his  more  flagrant  transgres 
sions  came  to  light,  they  recalled  some 
splendid  feat  of  arms,  and  condoned  what 
before  they  had  censured. 

He  happened  to  be  in  Charleston  because 
he  had  been  shot  to  pieces  at  Gettysburg 
and  had  been  sent  down  there  to  die.  But 
die  he  would  not,  at  least  not  then.  Ordi 
narily  he  would  not  have  cared  much  about 
living,  for  he  realized  that,  when  the  war 
was  over,  he  would  speedily  sink  back  to 


HERO  VERSUS  GENTLEMAN       23 

that  level  to  which  he  habitually  descended 
when  there  was  nothing  to  engage  his 
energies ;  but  his  acquaintance  with  Miss 
Fanny  Glen  had  altered  him. 

Lacy  met  her  in  the  hospital  and  there 
he  loved  her.  Rhett  Sempland  met  her 
in  a  hospital,  also.  Poor  Sempland  had 
been  captured  in  an  obscure  skirmish  late 
in  1 86 1.  Through  some  hitch  in  the  mat 
ter  he  had  been  held  prisoner  in  the  North 
until  the  close  of  1863,  when  he  had  been 
exchanged  and,  wretchedly  ill,  he  had  come 
back  to  Charleston,  like  Lacy,  to  die. 

He  had  found  no  opportunity  for  dis 
tinction  of  any  sort.  There  was  no  glory 
about  his  situation,  but  prison  life  and 
fretting  had  made  him  show  what  he  had 
suffered.  At  the  hospital,  then,  like  Lacy, 
he  too  had  fallen  in  love  with  Miss  Fanny 
Glen. 


24     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

By  rights  the  hero  —  not  of  this  story, 
perhaps,  but  the  real  hero  —  was  much  the 
handsomer  of  the  two.  It  is  always  so  in 
romances  ;  and  romances  —  good  ones,  that 
is  —  are  the  reflex  of  life.  Such  a  combina 
tion  of  manly  beauty  with  unshakable  cour 
age  and  reckless  audacity  was  not  often 
seen  as  Lacy  exhibited.  Sempland  was 
homely.  Lacy  had  French  and  Irish  blood 
in  him,  and  he  showed  it.  Sempland  was 
a  mixture  of  sturdy  Dutch  and  English 
stock. 

Yet  if  women  found  Lacy  charming 
they  instinctively  depended  upon  Semp 
land.  There  was  something  thoroughly 
attractive  in  Sempland,  and  Fanny  Glen 
unconsciously  fell  under  the  spell  of  his 
strong  personality.  The  lasting  impres 
sion  which  the  gayety  and  passionate  aban 
don  of  Lacy  could  not  make,  Sempland 


HERO  VERSUS  GENTLEMAN        25 

had  effected,  and  the  girl  was  already 
powerfully  under  his  influence  —  stub 
bornly  resistant  nevertheless. 

She  was  fond  of  both  men.  She  loved 
Lacy  for  the  dangers  he  had  passed,  and 
Sempland  because  she  could  not  help  it; 
which  marks  the  relative  quality  of  her  af 
fections.  Which  one  she  loved  the  better 
until  the  moment  at  which  the  story  opens 
she  could  not  have  told. 

Nobody  knew  anything  about  Fanny 
Glen.  At  least  there  were  only  two  facts 
concerning  her  in  possession  of  the  general 
public.  These,  however,  were  sufficient. 
One  was  that  she  was  good.  The  men  in 
the  hospital  called  her  an  angel.  The  other 
was  that  she  was  beautiful.  The  women  of 
the  city  could  not  exactly  see  why  the  men 
thought  so,  which  was  confirmation  strong 
as  proofs  of  Holy  Writ ! 


26     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

She  had  come  to  Charleston  at  the  out 
break  of  the  war  accompanied  by  an  elderly 
woman  of  unexceptional  manner  and  appear 
ance  who  called  herself  Miss  Lucy  Glen, 
and  described  herself  as  Miss  Fanny  Glen's 
aunt.  They  had  taken  a  house  in  the  fash 
ionable  quarter  of  the  city  —  they  were  not 
poor  at  any  rate  —  and  had  installed  them 
selves  therein  with  their  slaves. 

They  made  no  attempt  to  enter  into  the 
social  life  of  the  town  and  only  became 
prominent  when  Charleston  began  to  feel 
acutely  the  hardships  of  the  war  which  it 
had  done  more  to  promote  than  any  other 
place  in  the  land. 

Then  Fanny  Glen  showed  her  quality. 
A  vast  hospital  was  established,  and  the 
young  women  of  the  city  volunteered  their 
services. 

The  corps   of  nurses   was   in  a  state  of 


HERO  VERSUS  GENTLEMAN       27 

constant  fluxion.  Individuals  came  and 
went.  Some  of  them  married  patients, 
some  of  them  died  with  them,  but  Fanny 
Glen  neither  married  nor  died  —  she  abided! 

Not  merely  because  she  stayed  while 
others  did  not,  but  perhaps  on  account  of 
her  innate  capacity,  as  well  as  her  tactful 
tenderness,  she  became  the  chief  of  the 
women  attached  to  the  hospital.  Many  a 
sick  soldier  lived  to  love  her.  Many  an 
other,  more  sorely  stricken,  died  blessing 
her. 

In  Charleston  she  was  regarded  as  next 
in  importance  to  the  general  who  com 
manded  the  troops  and  who,  with  his  ships, 
his  forts,  his  guns,  and  his  men,  had  been 
for  two  years  righting  off  the  tremendous 
assaults  that  were  hurled  upon  the  city  from 
the  Union  ironclads  and  ships  far  out  to 
sea.  It  was  a  point  of  honor  to  take,  or  to 


28     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

hold,  Charleston,  and  the  Confederates  held 
it  till  1865! 

Fanny  Glen  was  a  privileged  character, 
therefore,  and  could  go  anywhere  and  do 
anything,  within  the  lines. 

Under  other  circumstances  there  would 
have  been  a  thorough  inquiry  by  the  careful 
inhabitants  of  the  proud,  strict  Southern  city 
into  her  family  relationships ;  but  the  war 
was  a  great  leveller,  people  were  taken  at 
their  real  value  when  trouble  demonstrated 
it,  and  few  questions  were  asked.  Those 
that  were  asked  about  Fanny  Glen  were 
not  answered.  It  made  little  difference, 
then. 

Toward  the  close  of  1863,  however,  there 
was  an  eclipse  in  the  general  hospital,  for 
Fanny  Glen  fell  ill. 

She  was  not  completely  recovered,  early 
in  1864,  when  she  had  the  famous  inter- 


HERO  VERSUS  GENTLEMAN       29 

view  with  Rhett  Sempland,  but  there  was 
not  the  slightest  evidence  of  invalidism 
about  her  as  she  confronted  him  that  after 
noon  in  February. 

Wounded  pride,  outraged  dignity,  burn 
ing  indignation,  supplied  strength  and  spirit 
enough  for  a  regiment  of  convalescents. 

The  difference  between  the  two  culmi 
nated  in  a  disturbance  which  might  aptly  be 
called  cyclonic,  for  Sempland  on  nearly  the 
first  occasion  that  he  had  been  permitted  to 
leave  the  hospital  had  repaired  to  Fanny 
Glen's  house  and  there  had  repeated,  stand 
ing  erect  and  looking  down  upon  her  bended 
head,  what  he  had  said  so  often  with  his 
eyes  and  once  at  least  with  his  lips,  from 
his  bed  in  the  ward :  that  he  loved  her  and 
wanted  her  for  his  wife. 

Pleasant  thing  it  was  for  her  to  hear,  too, 
she  could  not  but  admit. 


3o     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

Yet  if  Fanny  Glen  had  not  rejected  him, 
neither  had  she  accepted  him. 

She  had  pleaded  for  time,  she  had  hesi 
tated,  and  would  have  been  lost,  had  Semp- 
land  been  as  wise  as  he  was  brave.  Perhaps 
he  wasn't  quite  master  of  himself  on  account 
of  his  experience  in  war,  and  his  lack  of  it 
in  women,  for  he  instantly  conceived  that 
her  hesitation  was  due  to  some  other  cause 
than  maidenly  incertitude,  and  that  Harry 
Lacy,  of  whom  he  had  grown  mightily 
jealous,  was  at  the  bottom  of  it. 

He  hated  and  envied  Lacy.  More,  he 
despised  him  for  his  weaknesses  and  their 
consequences.  The  two  had  been  great 
friends  once,  but  a  year  or  two  before  the 
outbreak  of  the  war  they  had  drifted  apart. 

Sempland  did  not  envy  Lacy  any  talents 
that  he  might  possess,  for  he  was  quite  confi 
dent  that  the  only  thing  he  himself  lacked  had 


HERO  VERSUS  GENTLEMAN       31 

been  opportunity  —  Fate  had  not  been  kind 
to  him,  but  the  war  was  not  yet  over.  Con 
sequently  when  he  jumped  to  the  conclusion 
that  Fanny  Glen  preferred  Lacy,  he  fell 
into  further  error,  and  made  the  frightful 
mistake  of  depreciating  his  rival. 

Assuming  with  masculine  inconsistency 
that  the  half  acceptance  she  had  given  him 
entitled  him  to  decide  her  future,  he  actually 
referred  to  Lacy's  well-known  habits  and 
bade  her  have  nothing  to  do  with  him. 


CHAPTER    II 

SHE   HATES   THEM   BOTH 


CHAPTER   II 

SHE    HATES    THEM    BOTH 

"  You  are,"  he  said  at  last,  "  a  lonely,  un 
protected  young  girl.  Where  you  come 
from  or  what  you  have  been  doesn't  matter 
to  me.  I  know  what  you  are.  And  that 
is  why  I  love  you.  You  have  no  father  or 
brother  to  advise  you.  I  must  do  it  and  I 
will,  much  as  it  pains  me.  If  you  won't 
take  my  affection,  you  must  my  counsel," 

—  he  called  it  counsel,  but  only  an  expert 
could  have  distinguished  it  from  command 

—  "you  do  not  know  this  man  Lacy.     He 
is  a  dissolute,  abandoned  —  " 

"  Stop  !  "    cried   the   girl.      "  To  me   he 
is  always  a  gentleman  —  a  hero." 
35 


36     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"The  man  is  brave  enough,  I'll  admit. 
And  he  has  done  some  fine  things." 

"Yes,  while  other  men  have  escaped 
dangers  by  being  made  prisoners." 

By  that  unkind  remark  she  lost  a  large 
part  of  her  advantage. 

"  As  you  say,"  he  returned,  wincing  under 
her  cruel  thrust,  but  persistent,  "but  we 
are  not  discussing  me  now,  but  Lacy." 

"  Speaking  of  wickedness,  you  would 
better  discuss  yourself,  I  think,  than  him." 

"  I  will  not  be  put  off  in  this  way,  Miss 
Fan  —  " 

"  Miss  Glen,  please,"  she  interrupted,  but 
he  paid  no  attention. 

"  Lacy  is  well  enough  as  a  soldier.  There 
is  much  to  commend  in  him.  He  has  the 
manner  of  a  gentleman  when  he  wishes 
to  exhibit  it,  but  nevertheless  he  is  not  a 
fit  person  to  be  entrusted  with  the  future 


SHE  HATES  THEM  BOTH          37 

of  a  lovely,  pure,  innocent  young  girl  like 
you." 

"  Shame  !     Shame  !  "  cried  the  girl. 

"You  may  cry  '  shame'  upon  me,"  he 
went  on  calmly,  "  and  I  realize,  of  course, 
that  I  am  censurable  in  speaking  thus  of 
my  rival." 

"You  flatter  yourself." 

"How  is  that?" 

"You  are  no  rival  of  Major  Lacy's." 

"  No  ?     Well,  then,  as  a  friend." 

"  Of  his  ?  " 

"  Of  yours." 

"  Nor  are  you  a  friend  of  mine." 

"  Well,  then,  as  an  enemy,  a  fool,  any 
thing  !  I  want  to  tell  you  that  nothing  but 
unhappiness  awaits  you  if  you  encourage 
him.  I  know  him,  I  tell  you.  I  know 
what  sort  of  a  man  he  is.  Unstable  as  water, 
fickle,  dissipated  —  " 


38     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  I'll  hear  no  more  !  "  cried  the  girl,  pas 
sionately,  turning  her  head  and  attempting 
to  leave  the  room. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  the  man,  coolly,  pre 
venting  her  by  occupying  the  doorway. 
"  You  shall  hear  me  !  And  hear  this  first 
of  all.  I  am  not  saying  anything  about 
Major  Lacy  which  is  not  a  matter  of  public 
knowledge  and  which  I  have  not  said  to 
him  directly,  and  which  I  would  not  repeat 
in  his  presence." 

"You  tell  me  that  —  " 

"You  do  not  believe  me?" 

"  No." 

"  I  beg  to  assure  you,  Miss  Glen,  upon 
my  word  of  honor  —  and  it  has  not  been 
questioned  heretofore  —  that  I  told  him 
these  very  things  not  longer  than  half  an 
hour  ago.  And  I  informed  him  that  I 
intended  to  tell  you." 


SHE  HATES  THEM  BOTH  39 

"  What  did  he  say  ? "  she  asked,  her 
curiosity  getting  the  better  of  her  for  the 
moment. 

"He  laughed.  Said  that  the  South  had 
a  present  and  pressing  need  for  such  as  I," 
he  replied  with  sturdy  honesty,  "  but  that  he 
would  take  great  pleasure  in  killing  me  when 
the  war  was  over  if  we  were  both  spared." 

"  Well,  sir,  was  not  that  a  fine  reply  ? " 

"  It  was.  It  was  a  gentleman's  answer. 
I  admired  him  for  it  and  told  him  so.  At 
the  same  time  I  told  him  that  he  must 
cease  his  attentions  to  you." 

"  By  what  right  did  you  dare  — "  cried 
the  girl,  almost  choking  with  sudden  and 
indignant  protest. 

"  No  right.  Unless  my  love  for  you, 
with  a  desire  to  serve  you,  greater  than 
everything  save  my  devotion  to  that  flag 
yonder,  can  excuse  me." 


40     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  And  that  cannot.  Unless  love  be  re 
turned,  it  entails  no  rights  whatsoever." 

"  And  you  do  not  love  me  ? " 

"  Love  you  !  "  cried  the  girl,  scornfully. 

"  I  know  you  don't,  but  won't  you  ? " 
he  pleaded. 

"I  won't!" 

"Won't  you  try?" 

"No!" 

"  You  do  not  dislike  me  ?  " 

"  I  hate  you  !  " 

"  Do  you  love  Lacy  ? " 

"  I  will  not  allow  you  to  question  me ! " 

"  You  must  answer  me ! "  said  the  man, 
taking  her  almost  savagely  by  the  arm,  and 
in  spite  of  herself  she  thrilled  at  his  touch. 

"You  hurt  me,"  said  the  girl. 

"  Nonsense !  You  hurt  me  more  than 
I  do  you.  Do  you  love  this  man  ? " 

"  Why    not  ?      He   has   his   failings,    his 


SHE  HATES  THEM  BOTH  41 

weaknesses,  but  he  fights  against  them,  he 
tries  to  overcome  them.  The  whole  South 
knows  him,  loves  him  for  his  deeds,  pities 
him  for  his  failings.  And  I  — " 

"  Yes  ?     You  what  ?  " 

"You  shall  see.  Meanwhile  before  you 
depreciate  a  brother  soldier,  why  don't  you 
do  something  yourself  ?  You  are  not  in 
the  same  class." 

"  I  wouldn't  say  that,  Miss  Glen,  if  I 
were  you,"  exclaimed  Major  Lacy,  quietly 
entering  the  room  through  one  of  the  long 
windows  opening  on  the  veranda.  "  Ah, 
Sempland,  have  you  told  your  little  tale  ? " 

"Yes." 

"  Exposed  me  to  this  young  lady  ?  " 

"  I  have." 

"And  condemned  me  as  an  utter  scoun 
drel,  a  blackguard  ? " 

"  Not  quite.     I  told  the  truth,"  returned 


42      LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

Sempland,  calmly,  "just  as  I  said  to  you  I 
would,  and  for  that  I  am  ready  to  answer  in 
any  way  to  please  you.  We  can  settle  the 
matter  when  the  war  is  over." 

"Very  well.  What  did  you  say,  Miss 
Glen  ? "  continued  Lacy,  turning  to  that 
young  woman. 

"  I  told  him  it  wasn't  true ! "  burst  out 
the  girl,  impetuously. 

"Ah,  but  it  is,"  said  Lacy,  softly.  "I 
am  all  that  he  says,  and  more,  too." 

"  But  look  at  what  you  have  done." 

"  But  little,  after  all.  I  heard  you  re 
proaching  Sempland  for  what  he  had  not 
done  when  I  came  in.  That  isn't  fair.  No 
braver  man  lives  than  Rhett  Sempland. 
Why,  did  it  not  take  courage  to  defy  me, 
to  tell  me  to  my  face  that  I  was  a  scoun 
drel,  a  blackguard  ?  And  it  took  more 
courage  to  defy  custom,  convention,  pro- 


Ah,  Sempland,  nave  you  told  your  little  tale  ?  '  " 


SHE  HATES  THEM  BOTH          45 

priety,  to  come  here  and  tell  you  the  same 
things.  No,  Miss  Glen,  Sempland  only 
lacks  opportunity.  Fortune  has  not  been 
kind  to  him.  In  that  settlement  after  the 
war  there  will  be  a  struggle  I'll  warrant 
you." 

"  See !  He  can  speak  nobly  of  you," 
cried  Fanny  Glen,  turning  reproachfully  to 
Sempland. 

"  I  never  said  he  was  not  a  gentleman, 
could  not  be  a  gentleman,  that  is,  when  he 
was  —  when  he  wished  to  be  one,  that  is,  as 
well  as  a  brave  man.  He  has  good  blood 
in  him,  but  that  doesn't  alter  the  case.  He 
isn't  a  fit  match  for  you,  or  for  any  woman. 
I  am  not  speaking  for  myself.  I  know 
my  case  is  hopeless  —  " 

"  Gad  !  "  laughed  Lacy,  "  you  have  tried 
then  and  lost?  It's  my  turn  then.  Miss 
Glen,  you  have  heard  the  worst  of  me  this 


46     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

afternoon.  I  have  been  a  drunkard,  a 
scoundrel.  I  have  fallen  low,  very  low. 
But  sometimes  I  am  a  gentleman.  Perhaps 
in  your  presence  I  might  always  be.  I 
can't  tell.  I'm  not  sure.  Will  you  take 
me  for  your  lover,  and  in  good  time  your 
husband,  under  such  circumstances  ?  Faith, 
I'm  afraid  it'll  not  be  for  better,  but  for 
worse." 

Sempland  said  nothing.  He  would  not 
interfere  now.  Fanny  Glen  must  answer 
for  herself.  He  clenched  his  teeth  and 
strove  to  control  himself.  In  spite  of  his 
efforts,  however,  the  blood  flamed  into  his 
dark  face.  Fanny  Glen  grew  very  white, 
her  blue  eyes  shone  like  stars  in  the  pallor 
of  her  face  under  her  fair  hair.  She  hesi 
tated.  She  looked  from  one  to  the  other. 
She  could  not  speak.  She  was  too  con 
scious  of  that  stern  iron  figure.  Yet  she 


SHE  HATES  THEM  BOTH          47 

would  have  given  worlds  to  say  "  yes "  to 
Lacy's  plea. 

"  Choose,  Miss  Glen,"  said  Lacy,  at  last. 
It  was  hard  for  him  to  wait  for  anything. 
"  You  stand  between  us,  you  see.  I  warn 
you  if  you  do  not  take  me,  you  will  take 
Sempland.  Look  at  him,  — "  he  smiled 
satirically,  —  "  he  always  gets  what  he  wants. 
He  is  the  very  incarnation  of  bulldog  te 
nacity  and  resolution.  If  I  don't  get  you, 
he  certainly  will." 

"  How  dare  you  comment  upon  me  ? " 
cried  Sempland. 

"  Patience,  my  good  sir,"  said  the  other, 
coolly.  "You  commented  upon  me  in  my 
absence.  I  comment  upon  you  in  your 
presence.  The  advantage  is  mine.  As  I 
said,  Miss  Glen,  it  is  a  choice  between  us. 
Do  not  choose  me,  if  you  should  be  so 
fatuously  inclined,  because  I  happen  to  have 


48     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

had  some  chances  for  distinction,  for  I  as 
sure  you,  on  my  honor,  all  there  is  left  of 
it,  that  if  Sempland  gets  half  a  chance  he'll 
do  better  than  I.  Choose  because  you  love 
him  —  or  me." 

The  girl  stared  from  one  to  the  other  in 
indignant  bewilderment.  Lacy  was  an  ideal 
lover.  Sempland  looked  like  a  stern  master, 
and  she  hated  a  master.  She  made  a  half 
step  toward  the  handsomer  and  weaker 
man,  and  a  half  turn  toward  the  homelier 
and  stronger.  In  her  heart  of  hearts  she 
found  in  that  moment  which  she  preferred. 
And,  as  love  is  wayward,  in  the  knowledge 
came  a  surprise  for  her  —  and  it  brought 
shame.  Lacy  was  handsome  and  gallant 
and  distinguished,  in  spite  of  all,  but  Semp 
land  was  strong  —  a  man  indeed. 

"  Oh  ! "  she  cried,  looking  at  him,  "  if 
you  only  had  done  something  great  or — " 


SHE  HATES  THEM  BOTH  49 

"  What !  "  he  cried,  his  face  alight. 

But  she  turned  instantly  away.  In  her 
words  Lacy,  more  subtile  and  more  used  to 
women,  read  her  preference  and  his  rejec 
tion.  But  he  smiled  bravely  and  kindly 
at  her  in  spite  of  his  knowledge. 

"  Major  Lacy,"  she  said,  giving  him  her 
hand,  "  I  esteem  you,  I  honor  you,  I 
respect  you.  I  do  not  believe  what  this  — 
what  has  been  said  about  you.  But  I  do 
not  love  you."  She  drew  away  from  him. 
"  You  were  mistaken.  There  is  no  choice 
between  you,  for  I  love  neither  of  you.  I 
do  not  love  anybody.  I  hate  you  both ! " 
she  flashed  out  inconsistently.  "  Now 
go !  I  don't  want  to  see  either  of  you 
again." 

She  buried  her  face  in  her  hands  and 
burst  into  tears. 

"  I    will   do    something  to  deserve   your 


50     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

praise,"    said  Sempland,  in  his   deep  voice, 
turning  away. 

"  Miss  Glen,"  said  Lacy,  most  graciously, 
—  Fanny  Glen's  presence  seemed  to  call  all 
that  was  good  in  him  to  the  surface,  —  "  no 
one  has  respected  me,  or  trusted  me,  or 
honored  me  as  you  have,  for  years.  Semp 
land  cannot  rob  me  of  that,  even  though 
he  should  win  you.  Good-by,  and,  if  it 
be  not  grotesque  from  me,  may  God  bless 
you ! " 


CHAPTER    III 

A   STRIFE   IN   MAGNANIMITY 


CHAPTER   III 

A    STRIFE    IN    MAGNANIMITY 

"WELL,  Sempland,"  said  Lacy,  with  aston 
ishing  courtesy  and  forbearance  under  all 
the  circumstances,  as  he  overtook  the  other 
man  plodding  along  the  shaded  street,  "  you 
don't  seem  to  be  in  much  greater  favor  with 
the  young  lady  than  I." 

"  Lacy,"  returned  the  other,  "  you  did 
well  this  evening.  You  are  not  good 
enough  for  Miss  Glen,  I  still  think.  No 
body  is,  for  that  matter,  but  you  less  than 
others.  My  opinion  of  you,  you  know  —  " 

"  Faith,  all  the  world  may  know  it  appar 
ently  ! " 

"  That's  unjust.  I  have  never  mentioned 
53 


54     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

it  to  any  one,  and  should  not  have  expressed 
it  to  Miss  Glen  had  it  not  been  to  save  her. 
But  you  showed  the  stuff  that  was  in  you, 
that  used  to  be  in  you,  to-night.  It  was 
fine.  I  thank  you  for  having  said  — " 
he  paused. 

"  What  ?  "  asked  Lacy. 

"  Why,  that  about  my  not  having  had  a 
chance,  you  know." 

"  Oh,  that  was  a  trifle." 

"  I  know.  But  not  many  men  would 
have  said  it  at  the  time." 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Sempland.  I  like 
you,  I  always  have  liked  you.  When  I  — 
er  —  dropped  out  of  the  old  set,  you  know, 
before  the  war,  I  didn't  mind  giving  up  any 
one  so  much  as  you.  And  I  was  sorry  for 
you  to-night.  You  hadn't  had  a  chance. 
God  knows  I  love  the  girl,  but  I  am  not  the 
man  for  her.  I  would  break  her  heart  in  a 


A  STRIFE  IN  MAGNANIMITY       55 

month.  You  don't  know  women,  I  take  it, 
but  I  think  she  will  be  yours  in  the  end. 
I  give  her  to  you." 

"  She  is  not  yours  to  give." 

"  No,  I  know  she  isn't.  But  I  withdraw 
in  your  favor." 

"  I  don't  want  that  sort  of  a  fair  field. 
Harry,"  went  on  the  other  man,  uncon 
sciously  dropping  into  the  familiar  form  of 
boyhood,  which  caused  Lacy's  face  to  flush 
with  pleasure,  "  I  am  sure  she  loves  you. 
I  thought  it  was  I,  at  first,  but  since  this 
afternoon  I  have  changed  my  mind.  Why 
can't  you  be  different  ?  You  are  not  a  fit 
man  to  marry  any  honest  woman  now,  and 
when  I  thought  of  your  record  I  doubted 
that  you  ever  would  be.  I  was  sure  you 
would  not,  but  —  see  here,  old  man  ! 
Throw  the  past  aside  !  A  fellow  that's  got 
it  in  him  to  do  what  you  have  done  for  the 


56     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

South  —  why  can't  you  control  yourself  ? 
Turn  over  a  new  leaf.  I  love  her,  too. 
She's  more  to  me  than  life  itself,  but  her 
happiness  is  more  than  mine.  If  she  loves 
you,  and  wants  you,  make  yourself  worthy 
of  her.  By  heaven,  I'll  help  you,  if  it  kills 
me !  You  thought  I  was  harsh  to-day.  I 
swear  to  you  if  you  succeed  nobody  will 
acknowledge  it  quicker  than  I  ! " 

"Will  you  tell  her  so?" 

"I  will!" 

"  Rhett,"  said  the  other  man,  stretching 
out  his  hand,  "the  woman  I  love  has  this 
day  honored  me,  but  by  heaven  I  believe 
you  have  honored  me  more.  I  did  think 
it  was  a  low-down  trick  for  you  to  go  to 
Miss  Glen,  but  I  know  why  you  did  it,  and 
you  were  right.  It's  too  late.  I  can  never 
be  anything  different.  My  father  and 
grandfather  both  died  in  drunken  sprees  — 


A  STRIFE  IN  MAGNANIMITY       57 

it's  in  my  blood.  I  can't  help  it.  I've  had 
a  chance  or  two  to  do  something  a  little  out 
of  the  ordinary  in  this  war,  thank  God  for  it, 
but  I  suppose  the  reason  I  was  able  to  carry 
it  through  was  that  I  cared  little  whether  I 
lived  or  died.  No,  that  isn't  true.  I'd 
rather  die  than  live,  but  I  would  like  to  go 
out  of  existence  doing  something  fine  and 
noble.  I  —  I  —  might  get  a  better  chance 
on  the  other  side,  then,  you  know.  Life  is 
nothing  to  me,  and  there  are  no  possibilities 
in  it." 

He  spoke  bitterly.  It  was  rare  that  any 
one  saw  him  in  that  mood. 

"  I  tell  you  I'm  cursed  !  I  wouldn't  take 
that  girl  if  she  did  accept  me.  I  only 
wanted  to  trouble  you.  Well,  no,  not 
exactly  that,  either.  I  love  her,  God 
knows,  but  the  devil's  got  me  in  his  grip 
and  —  " 


58     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  I  can't  understand  it,"  said  Sempland, 
vaguely. 

"  Of  course  you  can't.  You're  so  strong 
and  so  self-contained — such  as  you  never 
can  understand  such  as  I.  But  to  be  a 
drunkard,  and  a  gambler,  and  a  —  " 

He  stopped  and  threw  up  his  hands,  and 
then  dropped  them  heavily  by  his  side. 

"  It's  in  my  blood,  I  tell  you  !  It  is  not 
all  my  fault.  Yet  there  is  good  in  me, 
enough  good  to  make  me  go  mad  if  I  stop 
to  think  of  it.  I  want  some  way  to  get  out 
of  this  life  with  honor.  I  leave  the  field 
for  you." 

"She  doesn't  love  —  " 

"You're  a  fool,  Sempland — forgive  me 
—  about  that  woman.  I  know  women  bet 
ter  than  you.  Not  so  much  the  good  as 
the  bad,  but  in  some  things  women  are 
alike,  a  woman  is  a  woman  whatever  she 


A  STRIFE  IN  MAGNANIMITY       59 

does.  That  girl  loves  the  ground  you  walk 
on." 

"  Nonsense  !     It's  you." 

"  Pshaw  !  She  is  fascinated  by  what  she's 
heard  on  one  hand,  and  she  shuts  her  eyes 
to  what  she  has  heard  on  the  other.  The 
war  is  young.  We'll  be  beaten,  of  course, 
but  not  without  some  hard,  desperate  fight 
ing.  Your  chance  will  come,  and  when  it 
does  —  " 

"  I  will  master  it  or  die  !  " 

"  Of  course,  but  don't  die.  Master  it. 
Leave  dying  to  me.  I've  sought  ways  for  it, 
and  now  one  is  at  hand." 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  take  out  the  David 
to-night." 

"  What !  " 

"  Yes.  It's  a  dead  secret,  but  I  can  tell 
you.  There  are  three  blockade-runners 


60     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

ready  to  sail.  The  Wabash  lies  off  the 
Main  Ship  Channel.  Of  course,  all  the 
others  are  blockaded,  too,  but  General 
Beauregard  thinks  that  if  we  can  torpedo  the 
flagship  the  others  will  hurry  to  her  assist 
ance  and  the  blockade-runners  can  get  out 
through  the  Swash  Channel.  Our  maga 
zines  are  running  low,  and  we  must  have 
arms,  powder,  everything.  There  are  two 
or  three  shiploads  at  Nassau.  This  is  an 
attempt  to  get  to  them.  If  we  can  blow  up 
Admiral  Vernon's  flagship,  perhaps  we  can 
raise  the  blockade.  At  any  rate  it's  the 
only  chance  for  the  blockade-runners  to 
get  out." 

"  Did  the  general  order  you  to  do 
this  ? " 

"Certainly  not.  I  suggested  it  to  him. 
They  don't  order  any  one  to  the  David, 
you  know." 


A  STRIFE  IN  MAGNANIMITY       61 

"  I  should  say  not,"  returned  Sempland. 
"  She's  been  down  five  times,  hasn't  she  ? " 

"  Yes,  and  every  time  with  all  of  her 
crew." 

"  How  many,  all  told,  has  she  carried  to 
death  ?  " 

"  Some  thirty  or  more,  I  believe." 

"  And  she  has  never  done  any  damage  to 
the  enemy  ? " 

"She  scraped  the  paint  off  the  New 
Ironsides  one  night  and  scared  her  people 
to  death,  I  reckon,  but  that's  all." 

"  Lacy  !  "  cried  Sempland,  suddenly,  "  I 
have  no  right  to  ask  favors  of  you,  but  —  " 

"  That's  all  right.     Ask." 

"  Let  me  go  to-night." 

"  What's  the  use  ?  One  officer  is  enough, 
and  you  could  not  do  any  good  by  going 
along.  I  should  be  in  command — " 

"  Let  me  go  in  your  place  !  " 


62      LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  Nonsense  !     It's  almost  certain  death." 

"  I  don't  care.  It's  my  chance.  I  can 
run  the  thing  as  well  as  you." 

"  Oh,  anybody  can  run  the  thing,  for  that 
matter." 

"  My  life  is  of  no  more  value  to  the 
South  or  to  me  than  yours.  Come  !  You 
have  had  your  chances,  and  improved  them  ; 
give  this  to  me." 

Lacy  hesitated. 

"  Sempland,  you're  a  fool,  as  I  said  before. 
You're  running  away  from  the  woman  who 
loves  you.  You're  risking  your  life." 

"  Never  mind  about  that,"  returned  the 
other.  "  She  doesn't  love  me,  and  I  want  to 
do  it.  For  God's  sake,  old  man,  don't  be 
selfish  !  Let  me  have  an  opportunity  !  " 

Sempland  was  ordinarily  a  reticent  and  a 
quiet  man,  but  this  possibility  awoke  him 
into  action.  He  pleaded  so  long  and  so 


A  STRIFE  IN  MAGNANIMITY       63 

hard,  and  so  determinedly  that  he  overbore 
the  other  man,  and  finally  wrung  from  him 
a  grudging  assent  to  his  request. 

"If  the  general  is  willing,  I'll  give  you 
my  chance.1" 

"  Thank  you.  God  bless  you !  If  I 
don't  come  back,  remember  that  you're  to 
make  a  man  of  yourself — for  her." 

"You  will  come  back.  You  must  come 
back!" 


CHAPTER    IV 
OPPORTUNITIES   EMBRACED 


CHAPTER   IV 

OPPORTUNITIES    EMBRACED 

"  General  Beauregard,"  said  Lacy,  as  the 
two  young  officers  were  ushered  into  the 
general's  office,  "  I  have  a  most  unusual 
request  to  make  of  you,  sir." 

"What  is  it,  Major  Lacy  ?  "  returned  the 
little  general. 

"  I  want  you  to  relieve  me  of  the  duty  of 
taking  out  the  David  to-night,  sir." 

"What!" 

"  I  want  you  to  give  it  to  Mr.  Sempland 
here." 

"  You  wish  to  avoid  the  danger  ?  "  queried 
Beauregard,  gazing  intently  at  Lacy. 

"  He  does  it  as  a  favor  to  me,  General," 
67 


68     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

interrupted  Sempland.  "  He  has  had  his 
chance,  and  I  have  had  none.  I  begged  and 
implored  him  to  allow  me  to  go,  and  only 
wrung  a  most  reluctant  consent  from  him." 

The  general  turned  his  head  away,  his 
fingers  tapped  softly  on  the  desk. 

"Things  have  not  gone  as  we  wished,"  he 
murmured  half  to  himself,  "  the  South  is 
hard  pushed,  indeed.  The  war  has  dragged 
on.  It  becomes  harder  and  harder,  but  we 
may  not  despair  for  our  beloved  country 
when  her  sons  strive  for  posts  of  danger  and 
are  emulous  to  die  in  her  service.  Do  you 
know  what  this  means,  Mr.  Sempland  ?  " 

"  What  it  means,  General  ?  " 

"  There  is  about  one  chance  in  a  thousand 
of  your  coming  back.  Every  time  that  in 
fernal  submarine  has  been  used  she  has  done 
no  damage  to  the  enemy  and  has  drowned 
her  crew.  Payne  was  drowned  in  her  with 


OPPORTUNITIES   EMBRACED      69 

eight  men  when  she  was  first  sent  out. 
She  was  swamped  by  the  wash  of  a  passing 
steamer  on  her  next  trial,  and  all  hands  were 
lost.  Then  she  sank  at  Fort  Sumter  wharf, 
carrying  down  six  of  her  men.  Hundley 
took  her  into  the  Stono  River  and  made  a 
dive  with  her,  hit  mud,  stuck  there,  and 
every  soul  was  suffocated.  They  raised  her 
and  fixed  her  up  again  and  tried  her  once 
more  in  the  harbor  here.  She  worked  beau 
tifully  for  a  while,  but  fouled  the  cable  of  the 
receiving  ship  trying  to  pass  under  her  keel, 
and  stayed  there.  She  has  just  been  raised, 
the  dead  cleared  out  of  her,  now  you  want 
to  go  on  her  again." 

"  I  do,  sir,"  returned  Sempland. 

"  Is  life  worth  so  little  to  you  that  you 
are  willing  to  sacrifice  it  ? " 

"  There  is  Lacy,  sir." 

"  Oh,   he   is   different ! "    burst   out   the 


70     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

general,  and  then  bit  his  lip.  "  It  would 
be  greatly  to  Lacy's  credit,"  had  flashed 
into  his  mind,  "  if  he  could  manage  to  die 
in  some  such  heroic  action." 

Lacy  and  Sempland  knew  what  the 
general  thought,  and  Sempland  could 
think  of  no  words  to  bridge  over  the 
pause. 

"You  see,"  at  last  said  Lacy,  smiling 
satirically  at  Sempland,  "  the  general 
understands.  You  would  better  let  me 

go." 

"  No.       The     thing     sometimes    works. 

Glassell  got  out  alive  when  he  tried  to 
blow  up  the  New  Ironsides,  and  anyway, 
I  want  this  chance.  I  have  had  four  years 
of  war  and  have  spent  three  of  it  in 
prison.  For  God's  sake,  General  —  " 

"Very  well.  You  shall  have  it,"  an 
swered  Beauregard,  "  but  I  will  not  have 


OPPORTUNITIES   EMBRACED       71 

the  boat  used  as  a  submarine.  You  can 
sink  her  until  her  hatch  is  awash,  but  no 
lower." 

"  Thank  you,"  answered  the  delighted 
Sempland ;  "  where  shall  I  get  a  crew  ?  " 

"  One  has  already  been  selected  from 
among  hundreds  who  volunteered.  Five 
seamen  are  to  attend  to  the  propeller  and 
an  artillery  officer  to  look  after  the  torpedo. 
You  can  steer  the  boat  ? " 

"  I  lived  on  the  water  before  I  entered 
the  army/' 

"  All  right.  The  Wabash  is  lying  off 
the  Main  Ship  Channel.  I  have  no  in 
structions  to  give  you  except  to  go  at  her 
and  sink  her.  I  am  told  the  most  vulner 
able  spot  of  a  ship  is  just  forward  of  the 
mainmast.  Hit  her  there.  Don't  explode 
your  torpedo  until  you  are  in  actual  con 
tact  if  possible.  Glassell's  went  off  the 


72     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

moment  he  saw  her  without  touching,  else 
he  would  have  sunk  the  New  Ironsides. 
You  will  find  the  torpedo  boat  at  the  gov 
ernment  wharf.  Everything  is  ready. 
You  will  leave  at  seven.  The  three 
blockade-runners  will  follow  you  as  close 
as  is  practicable,  and  when  you  torpedo 
the  frigate  they  will  dart  through  the 
Swash  and  try  to  get  to  sea.  I  reckon 
upon  the  other  Yankee  ships  running 
down  to  aid  the  W abash.  I'll  see  you  on 
the  wharf.  God  bless  you,  and  may  He 
have  mercy  on  your  souls ! "  said  the  little 
general,  solemnly. 

He  put  out  his  hand  to  the  young  man, 
and  Sempland  shook  it  vigorously. 

"  I  pray  that  I  may  succeed  for  the 
sake  of  the  South,  sir,"  returned  the  young 
man,  firmly. 

"  For  the  sake  of  the  South,  gentlemen. 


OPPORTUNITIES    EMBRACED       73 

That  is  our  watchword,"  cried  Beauregard, 
standing  up  and  bringing  his  hand  to  a 
salute. 

"  Have  you  any  preparations  to  make, 
Sempland  ? "  asked  Lacy,  when  they  left 
the  office. 

"  I  have  a  letter  to  write." 

"Very  well.  I  will  look  after  the  boat 
and  will  meet  you  on  the  wharf.  Shall 
you  see  Miss  Glen  before  you  go  ? " 

"  No." 

"You  must." 

"  I  cannot.  What  difference  does  it 
make  to  her,  anyway  ?  I  will  be  at  the 
wharf"  —  he  looked  at  his  watch,  it  was 
already  six  o'clock  —  "in  three-quarters  of 
an  hour.  Good-by." 

The  two  men  shook  hands  and  separated. 

"The  boat  is  ready,"  said  Lacy  to  him 
self.  "  I  saw  to  that  this  afternoon.  There 


74     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

is   nothing   for  me  to  do  there.     I  wonder 

—  by  Jove,  I'll  do  it!" 

A  few  minutes  after  he  was  ushered 
again  into  the  presence  of  Miss  Fanny 
Glen.  She  had  at  first  pleaded  indisposi 
tion,  but  he  had  insisted  upon  seeing 
her. 

"  I  have  something  of  so  much  impor 
tance  to  tell  you,  Miss  Glen,"  he  began, 
as  she  entered  the  room,  "  that  I  was 
forced  to  override  your  desires." 

"  Is    it   about    the    subject    that   we  —  I 

—  talked  about  this  afternoon?     If  so  —  " 
"  It   is    not.       I    shall    say   no    more   on 

that  score.     I  had  my  answer  then." 
"  I   am   very  sorry,"  continued   the  girl. 

"  I  admire  you,  respect  you,  but  —  but  — 

I  do  not  —  " 

"  I  understand.     Never  mind  that.     You 

said   that  Sempland   had   never   done    any- 


OPPORTUNITIES   EMBRACED      75 

thing  to  distinguish  himself.  Well,  he's 
going  to  do  it  to-night." 

"  What  is  he  going  to  do  ? "  asked  the 
girl,  all  the  listlessness  instantly  going  out 
of  her  manner. 

"He  is  going  to  take  out  the  David." 

"Yes?" 

"And  blow  up  the  Wabash" 

Her  hand  went  to  her  heart.  Her  face 
turned  whiter  than  the  frock  she  wore. 

"  My  God  ! "  she  whispered,  "  Admiral 
Vernon's  ship ! " 

"  She  loves  him  !  She  loves  him  !  " 
flashed  into  Lacy's  mind,  and  for  the  mo 
ment  he  suffered  agonies  of  jealous  pain. 

"  But,"  continued  the  girl,  "  why  should 
they  —  " 

"  In  the  first  place,"  went  on  Lacy,  "if 
the  venture  succeeds,  we  sink  a  noble  ship 
and  put  out  of  the  way  a  most  determined 


76     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

enemy,  and  we  hope  to  let  the  blockaded 
cotton  ships  get  to  sea." 

"But  the  David!"  said  the  girl,  who 
knew  the  sinister  story  of  the  crazy  sub 
marine  torpedo  boat  as  did  every  one  in 
Charleston.  "It  is  sure  death  !  " 

"  It  is  dangerous,"  said  Lacy,  softly, 
"  but  General  Beauregard  has  ordered 
Sempland  to  keep  her  on  the  surface. 
That  ought  to  give  them  a  chance.  Glas- 
sell  escaped,  you  remember,  when  he  tried 
the  New  Ironsides" 

"He  will  be  killed!  He  will  be 
killed  !  "  she  cried  piteously,  "  and  —  Ad 
miral  Vernon ! " 

"  What  is  the  Yankee  admiral  to  you, 
to  any  of  us  ? "  Lacy  asked,  curiously 
interested  to  know  the  meaning  of  her 
remark. 

"  Why   do   you    tell    me   of    all   this  ? " 


OPPORTUNITIES   EMBRACED      77 

she  asked,  failing  to  notice  his  question  in 
her  anxiety  and  alarm. 

"  Because  I  want  you  to  know  Semp- 
land  as  the  hero  he  is,  and  because  —  for 
give  my  frankness  —  I  believe  that  you 
love  him.  So  I  want  him  to  hear  you 
say  it  before  he  goes  out.  It  will  double 
his  chances  of  escape  if  he  has  your  love 
to  think  of.  You  will  inspire  him  to 
come  back.  As  it  is  now,  I  am  afraid  he 
does  not  especially  care  to.  He's  too 
good  a  man  to  lose,  if  we  —  if  you  —  can 
save  him,  Miss  Fanny." 

"And  this  man  abused  you  to  me  this 
afternoon  !  "  murmured  the  girl. 

"  He  said  what  was  true.  I  honor  him 
for  it.  I  love  you,  Miss  Fanny.  I  am 
proving  it  to  you  now  as  I  proved  it  to 
him  when  I  gave  him  my  place  at  his 
earnest  entreaty.  The  detail  was  mine." 


78     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  Why  did  you  do  it  ?  " 

"  For  his  sake,  for  yours.  It's  his 
solitary  chance.  I've  had  so  many,  you 
know." 

"  And  he  is  going  to  blow  up  the 
Wabash,  the  admiral's  ship,  did  you  say  ? " 

"  Yes,  if  he  can." 

Fanny  Glen  was  a  picture  of  terror 
plainly  apparent  in  spite  of  her  valiant 
effort  to  conceal  her  feelings.  Her  agita 
tion  was  so  overwhelming,  her  anxiety  so 
pronounced,  that  even  on  the  hypothesis 
of  an  ardent  affection  for  Sempland,  Lacy 
was  completely  at  loss  to  account  for  her 
condition.  What  could  it  mean  ?  But  he 
had  no  time  to  speculate  upon  it.  The 
minutes  were  flying  by. 

"  Come,  Miss  Glen,"  he  said  at  last, 
"it  isn't  so  bad  as  all  that." 

"  But  those  men  on  the  ship,  the  —  the 


OPPORTUNITIES   EMBRACED      79 

admiral !  They  won't  have  a  chance  for 
their  lives.  It  is  appalling  to  think  of! 
I  cannot  bear  it !  I  —  " 

"  Let  them  lift  the  blockade  then," 
coolly  returned  the  young  officer;  "it  is  a 
chance  of  war.  Don't  waste  your  sym 
pathy  on  them.  Bestow  it  nearer  at  hand. 
Sempland  starts  in  half  an  hour.  Won't 
you  see  him  before  he  goes  ? " 

"Yes,"  whispered  the  girl,  "if  you  will 
send  him  to  me." 

"  There  is  no  time  to  lose.  I  will  have 
him  here  in  a  few  moments." 

As  he  turned  away  the  girl  stretched 
out  her  hand  to  him. 

"  You  have  been  very  good  —  very 
brave  —  very  noble,"  she  faltered.  "  I 
wish  —  I  —  I  loved  you  more  than  —  than 
I  do." 

He    stooped    over    her    and    kissed    her 


8o     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

bended  head.  She  was  a  little  woman  and 
so  appealing.  He  breathed  a  prayer  over 
her  and  tore  himself  away. 

"  Thank  you,"   he  said,  "  you  have  re 
warded  me.     Good-by." 


CHAPTER   V 

WHAT   HAPPENED   IN   THE  STRONG 
ROOM 


^^E€M%.^^^^^7T  *. 


CHAPTER  V 

WHAT    HAPPENED    IN    THE    STRONG    ROOM 

As  she  heard  his  departing  footstep  on 
the  porch  the  poor  girl  threw  herself  down 
upon  her  knees  and  lifted  her  hands. 

"The  South  and  —  and  —  he,  mistaken, 
but  still  —  ah,  where  is  my  duty?  The 
ship  and  Rhett  Sempland!  I  love  him. 
I  cannot  let  him  go !  It  would  be  wicked. 
God  pity  me!  But  how,  how  to  prevent 
it?  If  I  can  only  delay  him  until  to-mor 
row,  I  can  tell  the  general  everything,  and 
—  is  there  a  way,  is  there  a  way,  O  God  ? " 

She  thought  deeply,  every  atom  in  her 
being  concentrated  on  the  problem  which 
tore  her  between  love  and  duty,  devotion 
83 


84     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

to  the  cause  of  the  South  and  those  other 
appeals,  which,  finding  lodgment  in  her 
heart,  moved  her  so  profoundly.  She 
wrestled  with  the  question  as  to  where  her 
duty  lay  as  Jacob  wrestled  with  the  angel 
of  old,  and  if  she  did  not  conquer,  at  least 
she  decided. 

Determining  on  a  desperate  course  of 
action,  she  rose  to  her  feet  and  sharply 
struck  a  bell  by  her  side  on  the  table. 
The  house  was  an  ancient  mansion  when 
it  had  been  rented  by  her  aunt  and  her 
self  three  years  before.  It  dated  back 
to  Colonial  times.  There  was  a  strong 
room  in  it,  the  windows  of  which  were 
barred.  It  would  make  a  safe  prison  for 
any  one.  He  should  be  put  in  there  and 
be  kept  there  until  morning.  He  would 
be  safe  there.  No  harm  would  come  to 
the  ship,  and  when  the  general  knew,  he 


IN  THE  STRONG  ROOM  85 

would  forgive  her.  She  would  tell  him  the 
first  thing  in  the  morning. 

It  would  cause  her  lover  pain  and  grief, 
this  summary  action  of  hers,  but  she  could 
explain  it  to  him,  too;  and  he  would  for 
give  her  also  and  she  would  reward  him 
with  herself!  There  was  compensation  in 
that,  she  thought  proudly  and  tenderly. 

"  Caesar,"  she  said,  as  the  aged  butler 
made  his  appearance  in  response  to  the 
bell,  "  send  Joe  and  Sam  and  Cato  to  me. 
Boys,"  she  continued,  as  three  stalwart 
young  negroes  presented  themselves  before 
her  soon  after,  "  Mr.  Sempland  is  coming 
here  to-night  to  see  me.  I  —  he  —  "  she 
found  it  somewhat  difficult  to  explain. 
"  General  Beauregard  wants  him  detained 
here.  I  cannot  let  him  get  away.  Show 
him  into  the  strong  room  on  the  other  side 
of  the  house  when  he  asks  for  me,  and  then 


86      LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

lock  the  door  on  him.  Don't  let  him  get 
out  under  any  circumstances  until  to-mor 
row,  but  on  no  account  are  you  to  do  him 
any  hurt.  You  hear?  You  understand?" 

"Ya-as,  Miss  Fanny,  I  specs  we  does," 
answered  Cato,  the  oldest  and  most  intelli 
gent  of  the  three. 

"  Caesar,  you  lead  him  into  the  strong 
room.  Say  I  will  meet  him  there  in  a  mo 
ment.  He  won't  suspect  anything,  I  reckon. 
The  rest  of  you  stay  in  the  passage,  and 
as  soon  as  he  enters  lock  the  door  upon 
him.  Don't  neglect  that!  He'll  try  to 
get  out.  He  may  break  the  door  down. 
But  you  must  keep  him  there,  even  if  he 
attempts  to  kill  you  —  unless  I  say  for  you 
to  release  him." 

The  three  slaves  were  devoted  to  their 
young  mistress  and,  accepting  her  orders 
without  a  question,  they  at  once  began  their 


IN  THE  STRONG  ROOM  87 

preparations  to  carry  them  out.  As  they 
were  talking  together  a  light  step  sounded 
on  the  porch.  There  was  a  ring  at  the 
door.  The  men  hurried  to  their  places  of 
concealment.  Miss  Fanny  Glen  hid  in 
the  dark  drawing-room,  as  Caesar  shuffled 
along  the  hall  to  the  front  door. 

"  Your  mistress  has  sent  for  me,"  said 
Sempland.  And  from  where  she  stood  in 
the  drawing-room,  Fanny  Glen's  heart  leaped 
at  the  tones  of  his  voice. 

"Yas,  suh,"  returned  the  darky,  obsequi 
ously  ushering  him  through  the  hall. 
"  Step  right  dis  way,  suh,  Mass'  Sempland. 
Miss  Fanny  done  axes  you  to  go  in  dis 
room  at  de  end  ob  de  passage,  suh.  An' 
she  tol'  me  she  gwine  be  wid  you  in  a 
minute,  suh." 

The  room  was  one  which  Sempland  had 
never  entered  before.  It  was  small,  fur- 


88     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

nished  like  a  library  or  office,  with  several 
large  closets  and  an  old  iron  safe,  and  had 
two  grated  windows  and  one  heavy  ma 
hogany  door.  It  had  formerly  been  used 
as  an  office  and  as  a  treasure  room.  Seeing 
the  visitor  safe  within,  Caesar  calmly  with 
drew,  and  as  he  adroitly  coughed  violently 
in  the  passage  Sempland  did  not  hear  the 
ponderous  key  turning  in  the  old-fashioned 
lock.  He  waited  a  few  minutes,  and  then, 
as  time  was  precious,  he  looked  around  for 
a  bell.  Seeing  none  he  walked  to  the  door, 
laid  his  hand  upon  the  knob,  and  tried  to 
open  it.  It  did  not  give. 

"  Locked  !  "  he  muttered  in  surprise. 

Raising  his  hand  he  struck  a  light  blow 
on  the  panels,  but  there  was  no  reply. 
Then  he  called  out  and  received  no  answer. 
He  struck  and  called  again  and  again,  his 
voice  rising  to  a  shout  while  his  hands  were 


IN  THE  STRONG  ROOM  89 

bleeding  from  the  blows  he  had  rained  on 
the  hard  surface.  Finally  a  voice  came  to 
him  faintly  through  the  door. 

"  Wat's  de  matta,  suh  ? " 

"  Open  this  door  instantly,  you  black 
dog !  Where  is  Miss  Glen  ?  " 

"  She's  a-comin',  suh." 

"  I  wish  to  see  her  immediately ! "  he 
cried  imperiously,  kicking  and  battering  again 
upon  the  door  in  furious  rage,  which  was 
stilled  the  instant  he  heard  her  voice  outside. 

"Mr.  Sempland?" 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  action,  this 
outrage,  Miss  Glen  ? "  he  cried.  "  You 
sent  for  me.  I  came.  Why  am  I  locked 
in  here  ?  Open  the  door !  I  must  leave 
immediately ! " 

"You  are  locked  in  here  by  my  orders, 
Mr.  Sempland,"  said  Fanny  Glen,  nervously. 

"  Impossible  !     For  what  reason  ?  " 


90     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"Because  I  — I—" 

"  By  heavens,  this  is  maddening !  You 
don't  know  what  you  do  !  I  am  ordered 
to-night  on  a  hazardous  expedition.  I  must 
be  at  my  post  in  ten  minutes.  Let  me  out 
instantly ! " 

"  I  know,"  returned  the  girl. 

"  Well,  then,  why  don't  you  open  this 
door  ?  I  will  say  nothing  of  this  —  " 

"  I  cannot." 

"Why  not?" 

"I  —  I  —  do  not  wish  you  to  go  out  on 
the  David" 

"  What  is  it  to  you  ?  How  dare  you 
interfere  ?  You  said  I  had  done  nothing 
but  lie  in  prison,"  he  replied.  "  I  will  show 
you  to-night." 

"  Not  to-night." 

"  This  is  madness  !  Think  what  you  are 
doing ! " 


IN  THE  STRONG  ROOM  91 

"  I  can't  help  it." 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"Because  I  — I  —  " 

"  In  God's  name,  what  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  I  will  not  have  you  take  the  risk.  It 
is  certain  death  to  you,  and  the  admiral's 
ship  —  "  said  the  girl,  so  softly  that  he  could 
scarce  hear  her.  "You  will  forgive  me 
when  you  understand.  I  shall  release  you 
to-morrow.  Mercy !  Have  pity  on  me,  I 
am  almost  crazy  !  " 

"  Do  you  know  that  you  will  dishonor 
me  ?  If  you  care,  let  me  go." 

"There  is  another  reason.  I  will  not 
have  the  W abash  blown  up.  There  is  a  — 
a  —  " 

"  Another  man  ? "  shouted  Sempland. 
"  You  are  a  coquette !  Let  me  out,  I 
say  !  I  will  get  out !  My  God,  was  ever 
a  man  in  such  a  situation  ? " 


92     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

He  beat  and  hammered  on  the  massive 
door  until  his  bruised  hands  bled  again. 
He  shook  it  in  its  frame  like  a  madman. 
He  was  exhausted  by  the  violence  of  his 
efforts  and  of  his  passion.  Through  it  all 
the  girl  stood  in  the  hall  frightened  nearly 
to  death.  What  mad  scheme  had  she 
entered  upon  ?  Had  she  strength  enough 
to  carry  it  through  ?  The  three  servants 
were  terrified  also,  their  eyes  rolling  in  their 
sockets,  their  hands  nervously  fingering  their 
weapons.  Suddenly  another  voice,  Caesar's, 
broke  through  the  turmoil,  reaching  even 
the  ear  of  the  desperate  man  on  the  other 
side  of  the  heavy  mahogany  door.  He 
stopped  to  listen. 

"  Miss  Fanny,"  said  the  butler,  "  dah's  a 
sojah  man  at  de  do',  an'  he  wants  to  know  if 
Mass'  Semplan'  is  heah." 

"Tell  him,  no,"  said  Fanny  Glen,  reso 
lutely.  "Say  he  left  a  half-hour  ago." 


IN  THE  STRONG  ROOM  93 

"  My  God  !  "  groaned  Sempland.  "  I  am 
a  disgraced  and  ruined  man  !  Listen  to  me, 
Fanny  Glen !  I  swear  to  you,  on  my  honor 
as  a  gentleman,  if  you  do  not  instantly  open 
this  door  I'll  blow  my  brains  out  in  this 
room ! " 

"  Oh,  you  wouldn't  do  that  ?  " 

"  I  will,  so  help  me  God  !  " 

There  was  conviction  in  his  voice.  The 
girl  listening  in  the  passage  heard  the  click 
of  a  raised  revolver  hammer. 

"  Don't !  "  she  cried  in  greater  terror  than 
ever,  "  I  will  open  !  " 

He  heard  a  brief  whispered  consultation, 
the  key  was  turned  in  the  lock,  and  the  door 
was  suddenly  flung  open.  Sempland  darted 
toward  it  on  the  instant  and  recoiled  from 
the  terrible  figure  of  the  little  woman  bar 
ring  him  with  outstretched  arms.  If  he  had 
suffered  within,  she  had  suffered  without  the 


94     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

room.  Such  a  look  of  mortal  agony  and 
anguish  he  had  never  seen  on  any  human 
face.  She  trembled  violently  before  him. 
Yet  she  was  resolute  not  to  give  way,  de 
termined  to  keep  the  door.  Clustered  at 
her  back  were  the  three  trembling  negroes 
armed  one  with  a  knife,  another  with  a  pis 
tol,  another  with  a  stout  club.  He  would 
have  swept  them  out  of  his  path  in  an 
instant  had  it  not  been  for  the  girl.  She 
stood  before  him  with  outstretched  arms, 
her  attitude  a  mixture  of  defiance  and 
appeal. 

"  It  is  too  late,"  she  said,  "  you  were  to 
go  at  seven.  It  is  past  that  now.  Saved, 
saved ! " 

He  could  do  her  no  violence,  that  was 
certain.  He  stood  silent  before  her,  his 
head  bent  toward  the  floor,  thinking  deeply. 
Her  heart  went  out  to  him  then,  her  soul 


"  The  door  was  suddenly  flung  open." 


IN  THE  STRONG  ROOM  97 

yearned  to  him.  She  had  hurt  him,  he 
must  hate  her  —  and  she  loved  him. 

"  Will  you  not  come  in  and  speak  to  me 
for  a  moment  ? "  he  asked  her  quietly 
enough  at  last. 

She  signed  to  the  men,  stepped  forward, 
the  door  was  closed,  and  locked  behind  her, 
and  they  were  alone. 

"  Did  you  think  to  be  of  service  to  me  ? " 
he  burst  out,  as  she  drew  near  and  then 
paused  irresolute,  miserable.  "You  have 
ruined  me  for  life !  I  begged  that  detail. 
I  volunteered.  I  must  get  out !  They  may 
wait  for  me.  It  may  not  be  too  late.  For 
God's  sake  unlock  that  door ! " 

She  shook  her  head,  she  could  not  trust 
herself  to  speak. 

"I  don't  understand  you.  If  it  is  — 
love  —  for  me  —  " 

She  stared  at  him  beseechingly,  mute  ap- 

H 


98     LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

peal  for  mercy,  for  help,  in  her  lovely 
eyes. 

"You  are  condemning  me  to  death,  to 
worse  than  death.  I  am  going !  " 

"  You  cannot !  " 

She  came  nearer  as  she  spoke.  Suddenly 
he  seized  her,  drew  her  close  to  him,  held 
her  with  his  left  arm,  and  there  was  happi 
ness  for  her  in  his  touch.  She  was  as  a 
child  before  his  strength.  With  his  right 
hand  he  presented  his  pistol  to  her  temple. 
He  took  advantage  of  her  weakness,  but 
only  in  the  service  of  a  higher  cause  than 
love  of  woman,  in  answer  to  a  greater 
demand  than  even  she  could  make.  She 
offered  no  resistance  either.  What  was  the 
use? 

"  Boys  !  "  he  called  out  sharply.  "  Are 
you  there  ? " 

"  Yas,  suh,"  answered  Cato. 


IN  THE  STRONG  ROOM  99 

"I  have  your  mistress  in  my  arms,  my 
pistol  is  at  her  head.  If  you  do  not  in 
stantly  open  the  door,  I  shall  kill  her  where 
I  stand !  " 

"  Cato,  I  forbid  you  to  open ! "  cried 
Fanny  Glen,  in  a  ringing  voice,  still  making 
no  effort  to  struggle  and  looking  up  into 
the  infuriated  man's  face  with  the  expression 
of  a  martyr  and  an  angel.  He  saw  and 
recognized,  but  persisted;  it  was  his  only 
way. 

"  Open  instantly  !  "  he  said  again,  "  unless 
you  would  see  your  mistress  die  !  " 

That  was  a  threat  the  men  could  not 
resist.  In  a  second  the  door  was  opened. 
The  awe-struck  faces  of  the  blacks  peered 
into  the  room. 

"Throw  down  your  arms,  here  at  my 
feet,  you  black  hounds ! "  shouted  Semp- 
land.  "Quick!  Or  I  fire!" 


ioo   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

Instantly  knife,  pistol,  and  bludgeon  clat 
tered  on  the  floor  at  his  feet. 

"  Out  of  the  way  now  !  Leave  the  hall ! 
I  want  a  clear  passage  !  " 

"Kill  me!  Kill  me!"  cried  the  girl, 
"  and  have  done ! " 

He  released  her  in  a  moment. 

"You  have  dishonored  me,"  he  cried. 
"  I  fear  it  is  too  late.  I  wouldn't  hurt  a 
hair  of  your  head.  But  I  love  you,  I  love 
you ! " 

He  strained  her  to  his  breast,  pressing  a 
passionate,  burning  kiss  upon  her  lips.  He 
wasted  a  few  precious  seconds,  but  he  could 
not  help  it.  She  threw  her  arms  about  his 
neck  and  returned  his  kiss.  He  could  feel 
her  heart  beating  against  his  own. 

"  I  cannot  let  you  go ! "  she  cried. 
"  Stay  with  me  and  I  am  yours  !  " 

"  I  must  go  !  " 


IN  THE  STRONG  ROOM          101 

He  tore  himself  from  her  and  ran  down 
the  passage  into  the  street.  She  thought 
she  would  have  fainted  at  that  instant,  but 
something  —  suspense,  the  faint  possibility 
of  success,  doubt — nerved  her  to  action. 
After  a  few  moments  of  awful  uncertainty 
she  followed  Sempland  along  the  hallway, 
out  through  the  door,  and  into  the  night. 
He  was  not  to  be  seen.  She  knew  where 
he  had  gone,  however,  and  she  bent  her 
steps  toward  the  government  wharf.  She 
went  slowly  at  first,  but  finally  ran  at  her 
greatest  speed. 


CHAPTER    VI 

AN   ENGINE   OF   DESTRUCTION 


CHAPTER   VI 

AN    ENGINE    OF    DESTRUCTION 

THE  David,  so  named  because  although 
she  was  small  it  was  hoped  she  would  strike 
terror  to  the  huge  Goliaths  of  the  Union 
fleet,  was  built  of  boiler  iron.  She  was 
thirty  feet  long  and  of  a  cigar  shape,  her 
greatest  diameter  being  a  little  less  than  six 
feet.  She  was  propelled  by  a  hand  engine 
worked  by  members  of  her  crew,  and  could 
be  submerged  at  pleasure,  but  experience 
had  shown  that  once  down  she  usually  stayed 
down  with  all  on  board.  A  resume  of  her 
history  has  been  given.  She  was  a  floating, 
or  sinking,  death-trap. 

Originally  she  was  intended  to  drag  after 
105 


io6   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

her  a  floating  torpedo  in  the  hope  that  she 
could  pass  under  a  vessel's  keel  and  explode 
the  torpedo  when  she  reached  the  proper 
position.  General  Beauregard,  however, 
had  positively  forbidden  that  she  should  be 
used  as  a  submarine  any  longer  on  account 
of  her  disastrous  behavior,  and  on  this 
occasion  she  was  provided  with  a  long  spar 
sticking  out  from  her  nose,  on  the  end  of 
which  was  one  hundred  pounds  of  powder 
in  a  copper  cylinder  provided  with  four 
extremely  sensitive  tubes  of  lead  containing 
a  highly  explosive  mixture,  which  would 
ignite  upon  contact  with  a  ship's  side  or 
bottom  and  explode  the  torpedo. 

She  was  painted  a  slate-gray,  and  her  bal 
last  was  so  adjusted  that  with  the  seven  men 
who  manned  her  on  board,  one  to  steer,  one 
to  look  after  the  torpedo,  and  five  to  turn 
the  propeller  crank,  her  low  hatch  scarcely 


AN  ENGINE  OF  DESTRUCTION    107 

rose  above  the  water.  In  that  condition, 
and  especially  at  night,  she  looked  like  a 
plank  floating  on  the  surface.  By  hard  and 
conscientious  labor  her  five  man-power  engine 
could  shove  her  along  at  about  a  speed  of 
four  knots.  Although  the  order  of  General 
Beauregard  that  she  should  not  be  sub 
merged  again  had  materially  diminished  the 
risk  which  experience  had  shown  was  over 
whelming,  yet  the  proposed  expedition  was 
nevertheless  hazardous  in  the  extreme. 

In  the  first  place,  an  excellent  lookout 
was  kept  on  the  Union  ships  on  account  of 
the  several  attempts  which  had  been  made 
against  them  by  similar  boats.  If  she  were 
discovered,  one  shot  striking  the  boat  as  she 
approached,  even  a  rifle  shot,  would  suffice 
to  sink  her.  No  one  knew  what  she  would 
do  even  if  she  succeeded  in  exploding  the 
torpedo.  It  was  scarcely  hoped  that  she 


108   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

could  get  away  from  a  sinking  ship  in  that 
event. 

The  little  party  of  officers  grouped  on  the 
wharf  bade  good-by  to  the  men  who  en 
tered  the  deadly  affair  as  if  they  were  saying 
farewell  to  those  about  to  die.  Every  prepa 
ration  had  been  made,  the  artillery  officer 
had  finally  and  carefully  inspected  the  tor 
pedo  to  see  if  it  was  in  good  working  order, 
the  men  had  descended  into  the  cramped 
narrow  little  hull  of  the  boat  and  had  made 
ready  to  start  the  propeller.  None  of  them 
wore  any  superfluous  clothing,  for  it  was 
oppressively  hot  in  the  confined  area  of  the 
little  iron  shell,  and  they  might  have  to 
swim  for  their  lives  anyway  —  perhaps  they 
would  be  lucky  if  they  got  the  chance.  In 
short,  everybody  was  ready  and  every  one 
was  there  except  the  commander  of  the  ex-, 
pedition. 


AN  ENGINE  OF  DESTRUCTION    109 

Great  secrecy  had  been  observed  in  the 
preparations  lest  there  might  be  a  spy  in  the 
town,  who,  learning  of  the  attempt,  would 
communicate  the  valuable  information  to  the 
Federal  fleet,  and  so  frustrate  it.  General 
Beauregard  had  caused  the  wharf  to  be 
cleared  and  guarded  early  in  the  evening. 
It  was  quite  dark  in  February  at  six  o'clock, 
and  no  one  except  his  trusted  staff  officers 
and  Lacy,  who  had  so  magnanimously  sur 
rendered  his  opportunity  to  Sempland,  was 
present. 

At  a  quarter  before  seven,  which  was 
the  time  Sempland  had  appointed  to  return 
when  he  left  in  obedience  to  Fanny  Glen's 
summons,  the  general  began  to  feel  some 
uneasiness.  He  spoke  about  it  to  Lacy, 
but  was  reassured  by  that  gentleman,  who 
professed  full  confidence  that  the  young 
lieutenant  would  undoubtedly  be  there 


no  LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

in  a  few  moments.  He  had  already  of 
his  own  motion  despatched  a  soldier  to 
Fanny  Glen's  house  and  had  learned  from 
him  the  false  news  that  Sempland  had  been 
there  and  had  left.  Lacy  supposed  he  had 
returned  to  his  quarters. 

The  state  of  the  tide,  the  necessities  of 
the  blockade-runners  who  hoped  to  escape 
that  night  under  cover  of  the  confusion 
caused  by  the  attack,  rendered  it  absolutely 
necessary  that  there  should  be  no  delay  in 
the  departure  of  the  torpedo  boat.  The 
time  had  been  set  for  seven  o'clock,  as  late 
as  practicable,  in  order  to  secure  the  advan 
tage  of  settled  darkness  before  the  blow  was 
delivered.  The  party  on  the  wharf  waited 
apprehensively  a  little  longer,  conversing  in 
low  tones  as  the  moments  ran  away,  and 
there  was  great  anxiety  as  to  the  where 
abouts  of  the  missing  officer.  Seven  o'clock 


AN  ENGINE  OF  DESTRUCTION    in 

struck  from  the  ancient  church  steeple  hard 
by ;  still  he  did  not  appear. 

"  General,"  said  Lacy,  a  few  moments 
later,  "if  I  might  suggest,  sir  — " 

"  Go  on.     What  is  it  ?  " 

"  It  might  be  well  to  send  for  him." 

"  Never  !  "  said  the  general,  shortly  ;  "  it 
is  a  soldier's  duty  to  be  at  the  place  ap 
pointed  him  at  the  specified  time.  I  shall 
not  send  for  him.  If  he  has  forgotten  him 
self,  his  duty,  for  any  cause,  he  shall  suffer 
the  consequences." 

Lacy  was  in  despair.  He  could  not 
understand  the  situation.  He  had  not  the 
slightest  doubt  of  Sempland's  courage.  He 
knew  his  friend's  rigid  idea  of  soldierly 
duty  or  honor.  Where  had  he  gone  ?  If 
there  had  been  any  way,  he  would  have 
despatched  men  to  hunt  for  him  in  every 
direction,  but  the  general's  prohibition  was 


1 1 2   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

positive.  And  for  some  reason  which  he 
could  not  explain  he  refrained  from  saying 
anything  about  Sempland's  visit  to  Fanny 
Glen,  merely  advising  the  general,  in  re 
sponse  to  an  inquiry,  that  he  had  left  him 
to  go  to  his  quarters  to  write  a  letter. 

Five  minutes  more  dragged  along. 

"  General  Beauregard,"  said  Lacy  at  last, 
"  with  your  permission  I  will  seek  him 
myself." 

"  No,"  said  the  general,  sternly,  "  we 
can  wait  no  longer.  I  need  you  for  some 
thing  else." 

"You  mean  —  ?" 

"  I  mean  that  I  shall  carry  out  the  orig 
inal  plan.  Mr.  Sempland  has  forfeited 
any  consideration  whatever  at  our  hands." 

"Then  I  am  to  — ?" 

Lacy  pointed  toward  the  David. 

"  Unless  you  wish  to  back  out." 


AN  ENGINE  OF  DESTRUCTION    113 

"  No  one  has  ever  used  these  words  to 
me,  sir,"  answered  Lacy,  proudly.  "  I  am 
as  ready,  as  anxious,  to  go  as  I  ever  was. 
But  Sempland  —  sir,  I  would  stake  my  life 
on  his  fidelity." 

"  It  may  be  so.  I  can  wait  no  longer. 
Will  you  go,  or  shall  I  give  up  the  expe 
dition  ? " 

"  Rather  than  that,  sir,"  said  one  of  his 
staff  officers,  "if  Major  Lacy  hesitates,  let 
me  go." 

"  Enough  !  "  said  Lacy.  "  Will  you  ex 
plain  to  Sempland  how  it  came  about? 
Good-by." 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE   HOUR  AND   THE   MAN 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE    HOUR    AND    THE    MAN 

LACY  tore  off  his  coat  and  vest,  and 
threw  them  on  the  wharf,  saluted  the 
general  and  stepped  into  the  boat.  Some 
one  in  the  group  lifted  a  lantern.  The 
flickering  light  fell  on  the  pale  faces  of 
the  determined  men. 

"Good-by,  sir,"  said  Beauregard. 
"You,  at  least,  are  an  officer,  a  soldier  of 
whom  the  South  is  proud.  Remember 
the  flagship  is  your  game.  She  lies  at 
anchor  right  off  the  Main  Ship  Chan 
nel.  Good  luck  to  you.  A  colonel's 
shoulder  straps  await  you  here  if  you 
come  back.  God  bless  you  all !  " 
117 


n8   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

He  wrung  the  major's  hand,  watched 
him  step  into  the  David  and  whisper  an 
order  to  his  men,  heard  him  call  out 
"  Good-by,  sir.  If  we  don't  come  back, 
don't  forget  us,"  and  that  was  all. 

The  little  boat  was  shoved  away  from 
the  wharf  by  willing  hands  and  in  a 
moment  was  lost  in  the  darkness  of  the 
bay.  There  was  no  moon,  and  the  night 
was  dark.  There  was  no  light  save  from 
the  stars.  The  torpedo  boat  slipped 
through  the  water  without  making  a 
sound.  She  became  entirely  invisible  a 
hundred  feet  away.  The  officers  rubbed 
their  eyes  as  they  stared  in  the  direction 
where  they  had  last  seen  her,  almost  fear 
ing  that  she  had  again  sunk  beneath  the 
sea.  They  stayed  there  perhaps  five 
minutes,  at  least  until  the  blockade-run 
ners,  none  of  them  showing  a  light  of 


THE  HOUR  AND  THE  MAN   119 

any  description,  could  get  under  way  in 
obedience  to  a  lantern  signal  from  the 
general  and  noiselessly  slip  down  the 
bay  in  the  wake  of  the  frail  little  craft 
which  it  was  hoped  would  be  able  to 
clear  the  path  for  them. 

"  Now,"  said  Beauregard,  turning  away  at 
last,  "  for  Mr.  Sempland.  I  do  not  under 
stand  it.  I  never  thought  him  a  coward." 

"  Nor  am  I,  sir !  "  panted  a  voice  out 
of  the  darkness,  as  a  pale  and  breathless 
man  burst  through  the  group  surround 
ing  the  general. 

"Mr.  Sempland!" 

"  For  God's  sake,  sir,  am  I  in  time  ? 
The  boat?" 

"  Gone." 

"How  long?     Call  her  back!" 

"  It  is  too  late.  She  has  been  gone 
ten  minutes.  Where  were  you,  sir  ?  " 


120   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  Who  took  her  out  ?  " 

"  Major  Lacy.  Answer  my  question, 
sir ! " 

"  He  !  My  God !  I  am  disgraced  ! 
Dishonored  !  And  she  —  " 

"  Where  were  you,  sir  ? " 

"I  — I  —  " 

The  young  man  hesitated. 

"  Why  don't  you  answer  ?  Do  you 
realize  your  position  ?  You  begged  this 
detail.  Why  were  you  not  here  ? " 

"Oh,  General  Beauregard  —  " 

"  How  could  you  forget  your  honor, 
the  South  ?  Where  were  you,  I  say  ? 
Answer,  or  I  will  have  you  shot  in  the 
morning !  " 

"I  —  I — was  detained,  sir.     I  —  " 

"  Is  that  your  only  excuse,  sir  ? " 
sternly. 

Sempland  was   in  a  fearful    predicament. 


THE  HOUR  AND  THE  MAN   121 

To  have  restrained  him  by  force  was  an 
act  of  high  treason.  He  could  only  ex 
plain  himself  by  implicating  the  woman 
he  loved.  The  consequences  in  either 
case  were  dreadful.  Fanny  Glen  a  traitor 
to  the  South  ?  Beauregard  was  a  stern, 
inexorable  soldier.  He  would  not  con 
done  such  an  offence  as  hers.  That  she 
had  failed  in  her  effort  to  prevent  the 
expedition  would  mean  nothing  to  the 
general.  Fanny  Glen,  the  pride  of 
Charleston,  the  woman  who  had  done 
more  for  the  South  than  any  other 
woman  in  the  Carolinas,  perhaps,  to  be 
disgraced,  certainly  to  be  punished,  it 
might  be  —  shot ! 

She  had  ruined  him,  but  he  had  kissed 
her.  He  could  not  say  the  word  which 
would  incriminate  her  and  leave  him  free. 
He  was  disgraced  already,  he  would  be 


122   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

cashiered.  Well,  what  mattered  it  ?  His 
chance  was  gone,  the  woman  did  not  love 
him.  His  heart  was  hot  against  her.  Yet 
he  remembered  the  scene  in  the  strong 
room  —  had  she  indeed  returned  his  kiss  ? 
He  closed  his  lips  firmly  and  said  nothing. 
He  would  not,  he  could  not  betray  her, 
even  to  himself. 

"  You  do  not  answer,  sir !  What  ex 
cuse  have  you  to  offer  ? " 

"  None." 

"You  sought  this  detail.  You  forced 
yourself  into  the  expedition.  Have  you 
nothing  to  say  for  yourself? " 

"  Nothing." 

"You  are  under  arrest,  sir,  for  dis 
obedience  of  orders,  for  dereliction  of 
duty !  By  heavens ! "  said  the  general, 
striking  his  left  hand  with  his  right,  "for 
cowardice ! " 


THE  HOUR  AND  THE  MAN   123 

"  For  God's  sake,  not  that,  sir ! " 

"For  cowardice,  sir!  You  knew  the 
expedition  was  one  of  extreme  hazard. 
You  have  no  excuse  to  offer  for  not  hav 
ing  been  here.  What  else  is  it  ?  " 

"Not  that,  sir!  Not  that!"  pleaded 
the  lieutenant.  "Anything  but  that!" 

"  A  traitor,  a  coward,  I  say ! " 

"  General  Beauregard  !  "  cried  a  high- 
pitched  voice  out  of  the  darkness,  shrill 
and  unnatural  with  terror  and  fatigue. 
The  next  moment  Fanny  Glen  herself, 
bareheaded,  panting  from  her  rapid  run, 
white-faced  in  the  light  cast  by  the 
lantern  held  by  the  staff  officer,  pushed 
through  the  group  surrounding  the  general. 

"  Where  is  Mr.  Sempland,  sir  ? "  she 
asked. 

"  Here,  under  arrest.  He  failed  to  ar 
rive  in  time.  Can  you  explain  it  ? " 


124    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"The  boat?" 

"Gone." 

"Gone?     Then  who  —  " 

"Major  Lacy  took  it  out." 

"And  the  Wabask?" 

"  Will  be  blown  up,  please  God,  if  all 
goes  well." 

The  girl  put  her  face  in  her  hands  as 
if  to  shut  out  some  dreadful  picture. 
She  kept  them  there  for  a  few  seconds, 
then  she  lifted  her  head  and  looked  un 
steadily  from  the  severe  face  of  the 
general  to  the  cold,  disdainful  counte 
nance  of  Sempland.  The  man  she  loved 
shrank  away  from  her. 

"  Useless  !  Too  late  ! "  she  murmured, 
then  fell  fainting  at  their  feet. 


CHAPTER    VIII 
DEATH   OUT   OF   THE   DEEP 


CHAPTER  VIII 

DEATH    OUT    OF    THE    DEEP 

AT  8.30  that  night,  February  17,  1864, 
the  little  torpedo  boat,  after  having  suc 
cessfully  passed  the  monitors  and  iron 
clads  anchored  just  out  of  range  of  Fort 
Sumter,  and  inside  the  shoals  at  the 
harbor  mouth,  was  stopped  about  a  mile 
from  the  outer  entrance  of  the  Main 
Ship  Channel,  where  her  quarry  had  been 
reported  as  lying  quietly  at  anchor  at 
nightfall.  Success  had  attended  the  efforts 
of  her  devoted  crew  so  far.  By  Lacy's 
command  the  David  was  stopped  in  order 
to  give  a  little  rest,  a  breathing  space, 
before  the  last  dash  at  their  prey,  to  the 
127 


128   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

weary  seamen  who  had  driven  her  steadily 
on  since  leaving  the  wharf. 

The  night  was  calm  and  very  still.  The 
hatch  covers  were  thrown  back,  the  tired  men 
thrust  their  heads  into  the  cool,  sweet  air,  so 
refreshing  after  the  closeness  of  their  badly 
ventilated  vessel,  and  wetted  their  fevered, 
exhausted  bodies  with  the  stimulating  water 
of  the  bay.  The  artillery  officer  took  ad 
vantage  of  the  opportunity  to  make  a  care 
ful  reexamination  of  the  torpedo,  and  Lacy 
was  greatly  relieved  when  he  reported  that 
he  had  everything  in  good  working  order, 
so  far  as  he  was  able  to  judge.  The  young 
commander  of  the  expedition  was  the  more 
anxious  for  success  because  of  the  previous 
failures  of  similar  endeavors.  After  a  ten- 
minute  rest  he  gave  the  order  to  get  under 
way. 

"  Men,"  he  said  coolly,  "  you  know  the 


DEATH  OUT  OF  THE  DEEP      129 

history  of  this  boat.  There's  a  chance,  ay, 
more  than  a  chance,  that  none  of  us  will 
ever  come  back  from  this  expedition.  You 
knew  all  that  when  you  volunteered.  If  we 
do  get  out  alive,  our  country  will  reward  us. 
If  we  do  not,  she  will  not  forget  us.  Shake 
hands,  now.  Good-by,  and  God  bless  you. 
Put  every  pound  of  muscle  you  have  into 
that  crank  when  we  get  within  one  hundred 
yards  of  the  frigate,  and  jump  the  boat  into 
her.  I'll  give  the  signal.  I  want  to  strike 
her  hard." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  the  seamen  as  cheer 
fully  as  if  there  was  only  a  frolic  before 
them.  "  We'll  do  our  best.  Good-by,  and 
God  bless  you,  sir.  We're  proud  to  serve 
under  you  whatever  comes." 

"Thank  you.  All  ready  with  the  tor 
pedo,  Captain  ? " 

"Yes,  Major  Lacy." 


130   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  Good  !  Down  everybody,  now  !  Clap  to 
the  hatch  covers  and  start  the  cranks.  Easy 
at  first,  and  when  I  give  the  word  —  hard  !  " 

He  seized  the  spokes  of  the  steering  wheel 
in  his  steady  hands  as  he  spoke.  Back  of 
him,  to  relieve  him  in  case  of  accident,  stood 
Captain  Carlson,  the  artillery  officer.  The 
heavy  planks  were  drawn  over  the  open 
hatch,  locked,  and  bolted.  Silently  the 
men  manned  the  cranks.  The  little  engine 
of  destruction  gathered  way.  It  was  pitch 
dark,  and  very  close  and  hot.  There  was 
no  sound  in  the  shell  save  the  slight  creak 
ing  of  the  cranks  and  the  deep  breathing 
of  the  crew  as  they  toiled  over  them. 

Forward  by  the  wheel  there  was  a  glass 
hood,  which  permitted  the  men  who  steered 
to  direct  the  course  of  the  boat.  As  the 
sinister  sea  demon  stole  through  the  waters, 
Lacy  caught  a  sudden  glimpse  at  last  of  the 


DEATH  OUT  OF  THE  DEEP      131 

spars  of  a  heavy  ship  at  anchor  before  him. 
The  night  had  cleared  somewhat,  and 
although  there  was  no  moon,  the  stars  gave 
sufficient  light  for  him  to  see  the  black 
tracery  of  masts  and  yards  lifting  themselves 
above  the  horizon. 

How  still  the  looming  ship  lay.  There 
was  scarcely  sea  enough  to  tremble  the  top- 
hamper  of  the  unsuspecting  man-of-war.  A 
faint  film  of  smoke  falling  lazily  from  her 
funnel '  in  the  quiet  air,  with  her  riding 
and  side-lights,  were  the  only  signs  of  life 
about  her.  No  more  peaceful-looking  ob 
ject  floated  over  the  ocean  apparently. 

"It would  be  a  pity,"  reflected  the  man 
at  the  wheel  for  an  instant,  "  to  strike  her 
so."  But  the  thought  vanished  so  soon  as 
it  had  been  formulated.  His  heart  leaped 
in  his  breast  like  the  hound  when  he 
launches  himself  in  that  last  spring  which 


132   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

hurls  him  on  his  quarry.  Another  moment 
—  a  few  more  seconds  — 

"That  will  be  our  game,"  whispered 
Lacy  to  the  artillery  captain,  in  a  voice  in 
which  his  feelings  spoke. 

"Yes." 

They  were  slowly  approaching  nearer. 
The  bearings  of  the  cranks  and  screws  had 
been  well  oiled,  and  the  David  slipped 
through  the  water  without  a  sound.  She 
was  so  nearly  submerged  that  she  scarcely 
rippled  the  surface  of  the  sea.  There  was 
no  white  line  of  foam  to  betray  her  move 
ment  through  the  black  water.  It  was  al 
most  impossible  for  any  one  to  detect  the 
approach  of  the  silent  terror.  There  was 
nothing  showing  above  water  except  the 
flat  hatch  cover,  and  that  to  an  unpractised 
eye  looked  much  like  a  drifting  plank. 

Yet  there  were  sharp  eyes  on  the  ship,  and 


DEATH  OUT  OF  THE  DEEP      133 

no  negligent  watch  was  kept  either.  When 
the  David  was  perhaps  two  hundred  feet  away, 
she  was  seen.  The  steadiness  of  her  move 
ment  proclaimed  a  thing  intelligently  driven. 

A  sharp,  sudden  cry  from  the  forecastle 
ahead  of  them  rang  through  the  night.  It 
was  so  loud  and  so  fraught  with  alarm  that 
it  came  in  a  muffled  note  to  the  men  in  the 
depths  of  the  torpedo  boat.  A  bugle  call 
rang  out,  a  drum  was  beaten.  The  erst 
while  silent  ship  was  filled  with  tumult  and 
clamor. 

"  They  have  seen  us ! "  said  Lacy. 
"Ahead!"  he  cried,  hoarsely.  "Hard!" 

At  the  same  instant  the  chain  cable  of 
the  vessel  was  slipped,  bells  jangled  in  her 
depths,  the  mighty  engines  clanked  into  sud 
den  motion,  the  screws  revolved,  and  she 
began  slowly  to  drive  astern.  But  it  was 
too  late,  the  sea  devil  was  too  near  to  be 


134   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

balked  of  the  prey.  The  men  at  the  cranks 
of  the  David,  working  with  superhuman 
energy,  fairly  hurled  the  torpedo  boat  upon 
the  doomed  ship.  Lacy  had  time  for  a  sin 
gle  upward  glance  —  his  last  look  at  any 
thing  !  The  black  railing  towering  above 
his  head  was  swarming  with  men.  Flashes 
of  light  punctured  the  darkness.  Bullets 
pattered  like  rain  on  the  iron.  One  or  two 
tore  through  the  flimsy  shell.  A  jet  of 
water  struck  him  in  the  face. 

The  next  second  there  was  a  terrific  con 
cussion.  The  torpedo  struck  the  ship  just 
forward  the  mainmast  and  exploded,  tearing 
a  great  hole  in  the  side,  extending  far  below 
the  water-line.  In  the  blaze  of  light  that 
followed,  the  men  in  the  David  cheered 
wildly,  and  the  next  moment  blackness  over 
whelmed  them. 

On  the  frigate  there  was  the  wildest  con- 


DEATH  OUT  OF  THE  DEEP      135 

fusion  as  the  sleeping  men  below  came 
swarming  up  on  deck.  Some  of  them  never 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  hatchways  and 
were  drowned  where  they  slept.  Some  were 
killed  by  the  explosion.  The  officers,  how 
ever,  quickly  restored  order,  and  as  a  last 
resort  ordered  the  surviving  men  into  the 
rigging,  for  the  water  where  she  lay  was 
shallow,  and  there  they  could  find  safety. 

The  ship  was  hopelessly  lost.  Indeed, 
she  began  to  sink  so  soon  as  the  torpedo 
exploded.  The  water  poured  into  her  vitals, 
and  soon  the  crash  of  exploding  boilers 
and  the  hiss  of  escaping  steam  added  their 
quota  to  the  confusion. 

Some  of  the  cooler  among  the  officers  and 
men  lingered  on  the  decks,  small  arms  in 
hand,  searching  the  sea  on  every  hand,  until 
the  decks  were  awash.  They  were  looking 
and  hoping  for  a  chance  at  the  boat  which 


136   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

had  caused  them  such  a  terrible  disaster,  but 
they  never  saw  her.  She  had  disappeared. 

Signals  had  been  burned  instantly  on  the 
shattered  ship.  Far  up  and  down  the  line 
the  lights  of  moving  vessels  burning  answer 
ing  signals  showed  that  they  were  alert  to 
render  assistance.  Boats,  ships'  cutters, 
dashed  alongside  to  render  help,  and  they, 
too,  sought  the  torpedo  boat,  but  in  vain. 
She  was  not  to  be  found. 

At  the  same  time  the  ships  of  the  fleet 
did  not  move  from  their  appointed  stations, 
and  when  the  blockade-runners  came  dash 
ing  down  through  the  Swash  Channel  in  the 
hope  that  the  vessels  usually  stationed  there 
would  be  withdrawn  in  the  excitement,  they 
were  met  by  a  deadly  fire  from  the  rifled 
guns,  which  tendered  it  impossible  for  them 
to  proceed.  They  turned  tail  and  fled. 
Two  of  them  succeeded  in  returning  to  the 


DEATH  OUT  OF  THE  DEEP      137 

harbor.  One  of  them  never  came  back. 
She  was  set  on  fire  and  burned  by  the  shells 
of  the  ships.  The  monitors  and  ironclads 
joined  in  the  battle,  the  forts  returned  the 
fire,  and  the  quiet  night  was  filled  with  the 
noise  of  roaring  cannon  and  exploding  shell. 

Lacy's  had  been  a  gallant  and  heroic  at 
tempt.  It  had  succeeded  as  to  the  blowing 
up  of  a  Federal  warship,  but  it  had  failed 
otherwise.  By  a  singular  freak  of  fortune 
the  blow  had  not  fallen  upon  the  vessel  for 
which  it  had  been  intended.  After  dark 
the  fine  new  sloop-of-war  Housatonic  had 
replaced  the  Wabash  off"  the  Main  Ship 
Channel,  and  she  had  suffered  instead  of 
the  flagship. 

Although  when  day  broke  she  was  sought 
for  again,  nothing  more  was  seen  of  the 
David.  At  least  not  then.  With  the  ex 
plosion  of  the  torpedo  she  had  vanished 


138   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

from  the  face  of  the  waters.  For  a  long 
time  General  Beauregard  and  the  people 
in  Charleston  waited  for  tidings  of  her,  but 
it  was  not  until  the  war  was  over  and  the 
Housatonic  was  raised  that  the  mystery  was 
solved.  They  found  the  torpedo  boat  with 
her  nose  pointed  toward  the  hole  she  had 
torn  in  the  side  of  the  ship,  about  a  hundred 
feet  away  from  the  wrecked  sloop-of-war. 
She  had  been  riddled  with  bullets  and  shat 
tered  by  the  explosion  of  her  own  torpedo. 
She  was,  of  course,  filled  with  water,  and 
in  her,  at  their  stations,  they  found  the 
bodies  of  her  devoted  crew,  Lacy  with  his 
hand  on  the  wheel. 

Nothing  in  life  had  so  become  Lacy  as 
the  ending  of  it.  It  is  a  proverb  that  the 
good  men  do  lies  buried  with  them,  the  evil 
is  long  remembered.  It  was  not  so  in  his 
case,  at  any  rate,  for  men  forgot  everything 


DEATH  OUT  OF  THE  DEEP      139 

but  the  dauntless  heroism  with  which  he 
had  laid  down  his  life  for  his  country,  and 
assured  his  fame. 

And,  after  all,  he  was  not  to  be  pitied  for 
that  he  died  the  death  of  his  choice. 


CHAPTER    IX 

MISERABLE   PAIR  AND   MISERABLE 
NIGHT 


CHAPTER   IX 

MISERABLE    PAIR    AND    MISERABLE    NIGHT 

SEMPLAND'S  mind  was  in  a  fearful  turmoil. 
It  had  all  come  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly 
upon  him  that  as  yet  he  hardly  realized  the 
gravity  of  his  situation,  although  it  could 
scarcely  be  worse.  He  was  under  arrest 
and  in  confinement,  facing  such  serious 
charges  as  neglect  of  duty,  disobedience  of 
orders,  treason,  cowardice !  As  to  these 
last,  he  was  so  conscious  of  his  loyalty  and 
intrepidity  that  they  did  not  worry  him  so 
much  as  they  might  have  done.  The  other 
things  were  bad  enough,  but  surely,  surely, 
no  one  could  ever  believe  him  either  a  traitor 
or  a  coward ! 

143 


144    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

His  mind  did  not  dwell  on  his  own  situa 
tion  as  it  might  have  done,  either,  if  it  had 
not  been  for  Fanny  Glen.  Instinctively  he 
had  stepped  forward  to  gather  her  in  his 
arms  when  she  fainted  before  him  on  the 
wharf  that  night,  but  he  had  been  sternly 
waved  back  by  the  general,  and  without 
being  given  a  chance  to  learn  anything  about 
her  condition  he  had  been  hurried  to  head 
quarters  and  heavily  guarded  in  the  room 
where  he  was  to  be  held  pending  Beaure- 
gard's  further  pleasure.  As  for  Fanny  Glen, 
although  Sempland  could  not  know  it,  the 
surgeon  who  had  been  present  had  speedily 
revived  that  young  woman,  a  carriage  had 
been  summoned,  and  she  had  been  taken 
home  under  the  escort  of  one  of  the  staff 
officers. 

Sempland  was  utterly  unable  to  fathom 
her  mysterious  conduct.  He  had  thought 


MISERABLE  PAIR  AND  NIGHT    145 

upon  it  swiftly  as  he  could  during  those 
trying  moments  which  had  been  so  filled 
with  action,  but  he  had  not  had  time,  until 
in  the  quiet  and  solitude  of  his  confinement, 
to  give  it  any  calm  consideration.  He  was 
at  a  loss  to  understand  her  actions. 

Was  she  a  traitor  to  the  South  ?  Did 
she  think  to  prevent  the  loss  of  the  flagship 
of  the  Federal  fleet  by  detaining  him  ?  That 
could  not  be,  for  if  ever  truth  and  sincerity 
shone  in  a  woman's  face  and  were  evinced  in 
a  woman's  actions,  they  were  in  Fanny 
Glen's  appearance  and  life.  Her  patriotism 
was  unquestioned.  That  hypothesis  must 
be  dismissed  at  once. 

Was  it  because  she  loved  him  so  that, 
fancying  the  expedition  promised  certain 
death  to  him,  she  had  taken  this  unfortunate 
method  of  preserving  his  life?  He  had  not 
been  too  agitated  in  the  strong  room  of  her 
L 


146   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

house  to  realize  as  he  held  her  that  in  some 
mysterious  way  she  was  happy  at  being  in 
his  arms.  His  heart  leaped  at  the  recollec 
tion.  She  had  not  struggled.  She  had 
almost  nestled  against  him. 

He  could  recall  the  clasp  of  her  arms,  the 
kiss  that  she  had  given  him,  the  words  that 
she  had  said.  He  was  almost  sure  that  she 
loved  him  as  he  thought  of  these  things. 

Yet  —  she  had  disgraced  him,  dishonored 
him !  That  was  not  the  act  of  a  loving 
woman.  She  had  shown  herself  possessed 
of  a  full  measure  of  womanly  heroism 
and  courage.  She  knew  exactly  what  was 
involved  in  his  failure  to  carry  out  his 
orders.  How  could  she  have  done  it  ? 
Was  it  all  acting  then  ?  Did  her  kisses 
betray  him  ?  Was  she  indeed  a  traitor  — 
and  to  him?  Yet — for  whom? 

There  was   Lacy  —  oh,  had  he  repented 


MISERABLE  PAIR  AND  NIGHT    147 

after  all?  Had  he  wished  to  resume  the 
command  he  had  so  reluctantly  surrendered  ? 
Had  she  been  a  party  to  any  plan  whereby 
the  matter  might  be  brought  about  ?  Was 
he  to  be  shamed  and  sacrificed  for  Lacy's 
glory  and  honor  by  this  woman  ?  Perish 
the  thought !  Yet  why  had  she  fainted  on 
the  wharf?  Was  it  at  the  mention  of  Lacy's 
name  ?  Was  she  alarmed  for  his  safety  ? 
If  that  were  the  case,  why  had  she  not  striven 
to  restrain  Lacy  and  allowed  him  to  go  in  his 
place  ? 

Suddenly  there  flashed  into  his  mind  that 
there  might  be  some  one  on  the  Wabash 
whom  she  wished  to  protect !  Could  that 
be  the  solution  of  the  mystery  ?  No  one 
knew  anything  of  her  origin,  her  past  his 
tory.  Was  she  faithful  to  the  South,  yet 
had  she  a  —  a  —  lover  in  the  Union  fleet  ? 
Was  she  indeed  what  he  called  her,  a  heart- 


148   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

less  coquette  ?  He  could  have  sworn  from 
that  brief  moment  when  he  held  her  in  his 
arms,  when  he  looked  at  her,  that  she  loved 
him.  She  had  returned  his  kiss.  Oh,  had 
she  ?  Was  it  a  dream  ?  A  play  ?  To  de 
ceive  him  ?  Great  God  !  was  he  going  mad  ? 

Of  only  one  thing  was  he  certain.  He 
could  never  disclose  to  any  one  the  cause  of 
his  failure  to  present  himself  on  the  wharf 
in  time.  Whether  she  loved  Lacy,  or  some 
one  in  the  Union  fleet,  made  no  difference 
to  his  love.  He  would  love  her  till  he  died. 
Ay,  he  would  love  her  even  in  the  face  of 
her  treachery,  her  faithlessness  —  everything ! 
He  hated  himself  for  this,  but  it  was  true, 
he  could  not  deny  it. 

And  he  would  save  her  from  the  conse 
quences  of  her  action  at  the  cost  of  his  life — 
his  honor  even.  What  had  he  to  live  for 
anyway,  if  she  were  taken  from  him  ?  Death 


MISERABLE  PAIR  AND  NIGHT    149 

might  come.  It  would  come.  He  would 
make  no  defence.  It  was  quite  within  the 
power  of  a  court-martial  to  order  him  shot. 
And  it  was  quite  within  the  power  of  a  court- 
martial  to  punish  Fanny  Glen,  too,  if  he  fas 
tened  the  culpability  for  his  failure  upon 
her ;  perhaps  not  by  death,  but  certainly  by 
disgrace  and  shame.  The  city  was  under 
martial  rule,  General  Beauregard  was  su 
preme.  No,  he  could  not  expose  her  to 
that  condemnation  —  he  loved  her  too  well. 

Yet  he  wished  that  he  could  hate  her,  as  he 
paced  up  and  down  the  long  room,  stopping 
at  the  windows  to  stare  out  into  the  dark  in 
the  direction  of  the  sea  —  where  he  should 
have  been  if  all  had  gone  well. 

He  was  too  far  away  to  hear  the  explosion 
of  the  torpedo,  which  was  muffled,  because  it 
took  place  under  water,  but  he  could  hear 
the  batteries  of  the  ships  as  they  opened  on 


150   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

the  blockade-runners,  and  the  answer  from 
the  forts,  and  he  knew  that  something  had 
happened  at  any  rate.  And  his  suspense  as 
to  that  added  to  his  wretchedness.  Lacy 
had  supplanted  him  and  reaped  the  glory  — 
again.  It  was  maddening.  No  one  came 
to  bring  him  any  word.  The  general  con 
cluded  to  postpone  his  inquiry  until  the 
next  morning,  and  Sempland  paced  the  floor 
the  night  long  in  a  pitiable  condition  of 
wounded  love,  blasted  hope,  shattered 
fame. 

At  home,  not  far  away,  poor  Fanny  Glen 
was  even  more  miserable  than  Rhett  Semp 
land,  for  she  had  divined  —  yes,  so  soon  as 
the  two  men  had  left  her  presence  the  after 
noon  before,  she  had  recognized  the  fact  — 
that  she  loved  Sempland.  Conviction  had 
grown  upon  her  swiftly,  and  in  those  mo 
ments  when  she  was  fearful  that  he  would 


MISERABLE  PAIR  AND  NIGHT    151 

succeed  in  his  purpose,  when  she  had  kept 
him  a  prisoner  in  her  home  to  prevent  him 
from  taking  out  the  David  to  try  to  blow 
up  the  Wabash,  she  knew  that  she  loved 
him. 

When  he  had  held  her  in  his  arms  in  that 
bold  and  successful  effort  to  escape,  when  he 
had  strained  her  to  his  breast,  when  he  had 
kissed  her  —  oh,  that  kiss  !  —  the  conscious 
ness  of  her  passion  overwhelmed  her.  The 
recollection  of  it  even  filled  her  with  passion 
ate  tenderness.  She  had  not  been  afraid 
when  he  had  threatened  her  with  the  pistol. 
She  could  have  died  easily  then  —  in  his 
arms,  with  his  kiss  upon  her  lips,  his  heart 
beating  against  her  own.  He  loved  her  ! 
Nothing  else  mattered  for  the  moment. 

She  had  endeavored  to  keep  him  a  pris 
oner  partly  for  his  own  sake,  but  principally 
for  another  and  greater  reason.  She  had  not 


152   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

thought  of  disgrace  or  shame  to  him.  It 
had  all  come  so  swiftly.  She  had  no  time 
to  reflect  at  all.  She  had  decided  upon  im 
pulse,  with  but  one  thought  at  first  —  to 
save  the  Union  ship.  In  her  sudden  alarm 
and  anxiety  she  had  not  realized  that  she 
was  playing  a  traitor's  part.  Or  if  she  had, 
she  had  done  it  willingly,  in  the  belief  that 
the  punishment  would  fall  upon  her,  and 
that  he  would  be  held  blameless. 

But  for  whatever  reason  she  had  acted  as 
she  had,  she  had  failed  after  all,  for  another 
had  taken  Sempland's  part,  and  the  flagship, 
if  the  David  succeeded,  was  doomed.  Her 
sacrifice  was  unavailing.  She  had  lost  every 
thing.  Sempland  had  shrunk  away  from  her 
when  she  had  confronted  him  and  the  gen 
eral  on  the  wharf,  and  when  she  had  recov 
ered  consciousness  he  was  gone.  She  could 
not  know  his  heart  had  gone  out  to  her 


•• 


"  Poor  little  Fanny  Glen   ...  she  had  lost  on  every  hand." 


MISERABLE  PAIR  AND  NIGHT    155 

lying  there,  nor  how  they  had  hurried  him 
away  from  her  prostrate  figure. 

He  would  never  forgive  her  —  never! 
she  thought  miserably.  He  was  under 
arrest  now.  What  was  that  word  she  had 
caught  as  she  ran  toward  them  ?  Coward  ! 
They  would  kill  him  perhaps.  She  had 
lost  all  —  love,  the  ship,  everything  !  Lacy, 
too,  was  gone.  He  had  taken  the  boat 
out  in  Sempland's  place.  Why  had  she 
not  thought  of  that  possibility  ?  And  he 
had  loved  her,  and  he  would  never  come 
back. 

With  a  misery  akin  to  Sempland's  she 
heard  the  bombardment  which  proclaimed 
that  something  had  happened.  Had  the 
flagship  been  blown  up  ?  Nothing  was  left 
to  her.  She  would  go  to  the  general  and 
tell  the  truth  in  the  morning,  and  then  — 
he  would  be  free.  They  could  punish  her 


156   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

and  she  could  die.     Well,  death  would  be 
welcome. 

Poor  little  Fanny  Glen  !  She  had  played, 
and  played  the  fool  exceedingly  —  and  she 
had  lost  on  every  hand ! 


CHAPTER    X 
A  STUBBORN  PROPOSITION 


CHAPTER   X 

A    STUBBORN    PROPOSITION 

THE  general,  who  was  always  on  the  alert, 
ordinarily  began  his  work  with  the  sun,  and 
rarely  did  he  stop  with  the  setting  of  it,  either. 
The  next  morning,  therefore,  he  was  at  his 
headquarters  at  an  unusually  early  hour. 

Fortune  had  favored  him  in  that  one 
of  the  harbor  patrol  boats,  making  a 
daring  reconnaissance  about  midnight,  to 
discover  if  possible  what  had  happened 
to  the  David,  had  captured  a  whale  boat 
from  one  of  the  Union  ships,  bound  on  a 
similar  errand,  and  had  brought  her  crew 
to  the  city.  By  questioning  them  Beau- 
regard  learned  of  the  blowing  up  of  the 
159 


160   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

Housatonic,  and  the  almost  certain  loss  of 
the  torpedo  boat.  He  was  sorry  that  he 
missed  the  Wabash  and  the  admiral,  and 
intensely  grieved  over  the  lack  of  any  tid 
ings  from  the  David  or  her  men,  which, 
however,  caused  him  little  surprise,  but  he 
was  glad,  indeed,  they  had  been  so  brill 
iantly  successful  in  eliminating  the  magnifi 
cent  new  steam  sloop-of-war  Housatonic 
from  the  force  blockading  them. 

Incidentally  he  learned,  with  some  addi 
tional  satisfaction,  that  Admiral  Vernon  was 
to  be  relieved  of  his  command  on  account 
of  illness  and  was  going  North  with  his 
flagship  in  a  few  days.  The  admiral  had 
shown  himself  so  intensely  enterprising 
and  pugnacious  that  Beauregard  hoped  and 
expected  that  any  change  in  opponents 
would  be  for  the  betterment  of  the  situa 
tion  from  the  Southern  point  of  view. 


A  STUBBORN  PROPOSITION      161 

When  he  had  digested  the  important  news 
of  the  morning,  he  sent  for  his  prisoner  of 
the  night  before.  The  general  had  been 
very  indignant  on  the  wharf,  and  justly  so, 
but  he  instinctively  felt  that  there  was 
something  in  the  situation,  which,  if  he 
could  get  at  it,  might  relieve  from  the 
odium  of  his  position  the  young  officer, 
whose  family  history,  no  less  than  his  per 
sonal  character,  absolutely  negatived  the 
idea  of  cowardice  or  treachery. 

General  Beauregard  hoped  that  by  ques 
tioning  him  quietly  and  calmly,  and  by 
representing  to  him  the  critical  situation 
in  which  he  found  himself,  that  he  might 
induce  him  to  clear  up  the  mystery.  He 
spoke  to  him  kindly,  therefore,  when  he 
was  ushered  into  the  room  and  bade  him 
be  seated.  He  marked  with  soldierly  ap 
preciation  of  the  lieutenant's  feelings  the 


1 62   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

evidences  of  his  sleepless  night,  the  anguish 
of  his  soul,  in  the  haggard  look  upon  his 
face. 

"  Mr.  Sempland,"  he  began  with  im 
pressive  and  deliberate  gravity,  carefully 
weighing  his  words  that  they  might  make 
the  deeper  impression  upon  the  younger 
man,  for  whom  he  felt  profound  pity,  "  you 
bear  one  of  the  noblest  names  in  the  com 
monwealth.  I  knew  your  father  and  your 
grandfather.  They  were  men  of  the  high 
est  courage  and  of  unimpeachable  honor. 
Their  devotion  to  the  South  cannot  be 
questioned.  I  grieve  more  than  I  can  say 
to  find  you  in  so  equivocal  a  position.  I 
am  convinced  that  there  is  some  explana 
tion  for  it,  and  I  ask  you,  not  as  your 
general,  but  as  your  friend,  to  disclose  it 
to  me." 

"You  called  me  a  coward  last  night,  sir." 


A  STUBBORN  PROPOSITION      163 

"  In  the  heat  of  my  disappointment  and 
surprise  I  did  make  use  of  that  term,  sir. 
It  was  a  mistake.  I  regret  it,"  said  the 
general,  magnanimously.  "  I  do  not  be 
lieve  your  failure  to  take  out  the  David 
arose  from  any  fear." 

This  was  a  great  concession  indeed,  and 
Sempland  was  intensely  relieved,  and  an 
immense  load  was  lifted  from  his  breast 
by  the  general's  reassuring  words. 

"Sir,  I  thank  you.  I  could  have  borne 
anything  than  that." 

"  But,  my  boy,"  continued  the  general, 
severely,  "you  must  remember  that  you 
still  lie  under  the  imputation  of  treachery 
to  the  South,  and  you  will  recognize  readily 
that  such  an  accusation  is  scarcely  less  terri 
ble  than  the  other." 

"  General  Beauregard,  believe  me,  sir," 
burst  out  Sempland,  impetuously,  "  I  pledge 


164  LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

you  my  word  of  honor,  I  am  not  a  traitor 
to  the  South,  I  would  die  for  my  country 
gladly  if  it  would  do  her  service.  I  fully 
intended  to  take  out  the  David.  I  begged 
for  the  detail,  and  was  thankful  beyond 
measure  to  you  for  giving  it  to  me.  I 
was  overwhelmed  with  anger  and  dismay 
and  horror  at  my  failure.  I  swear  to  you, 
sir,  by  all  that  is  good  and  true,  by  every 
thing  holy,  that  it  was  not  my  fault  that 
I  was  not  there  —  I  —  I  — was  detained." 

"  Detained  ?     By  whom  ?  " 

Sempland  only  bit  his  lip  and  looked 
dumbly  at  the  general. 

"  Come,  my  boy,  I  want  to  help  you,"  said 
the  veteran  officer,  persuasively.  "  Who,  or 
what,  detained  you  ?  Where  were  you  de 
tained?  It  must  have  been  some  man  — 
or  was  it  a  woman  ?  Tell  me,  and,  by 
heavens,  I'll  make  such  an  example  of  the 


A  STUBBORN  PROPOSITION      165 

traitor  as  will  never  be  forgotten  in  South 
Carolina  or  the  Confederacy  !  " 

"  I   cannot,  sir." 

"  Think !  Your  rank,  your  honor,  it 
may  be  your  life,  all  depend  upon  your 
reply.  You  are  concealing  something 
from  me.  You  do  not  answer,"  continued 
Beauregard,  keenly  scanning  the  face  of  the 
young  man  standing  before  him  in  stub 
born  silence.  "  I  see  that  you  are  shield 
ing  some  one,  sheltering  some  unworthy 
person.  Who  is  it  ?  " 

Still  no  answer.  The  general's  patience 
was  gradually  vanishing  in  the  face  of  such 
obstinacy.  Yet  he  restrained  his  growing 
displeasure,  and  continued  his  questioning. 

"Where  did  you  go  after  you  left 
me?" 

"  To  my  quarters,  sir,  to  write  a  letter." 

"  Were  you  there  all  the  time  ?  " 


166   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Where  did  you  go  after  the  letter  was 
written  ? " 

No  answer. 

"  Major  Lacy  said  —  "  began  the  general, 
changing  his  tactics. 

"  Did  he  tell  you  ? "  cried  Sempland,  in 
sudden  alarm  and  great  dismay. 

"  He  knew  then  ?  "  exclaimed  the  general, 
triumphant  in  his  clew.  "  No,  he  didn't  tell. 
He  never  will  tell  now.  I  have  learned 
from  a  picket  boat  that  was  captured  last 
night  by  our  patrols,  that  nothing  was  seen 
of  the  David  after  the  explosion." 

"Poor  Lacy!"  said  Sempland.  "Well, 
sir,  he  died  the  death  of  his  choice." 

"  Yes,"  said  Beauregard,  "  little  in  life  be 
came  him  as  the  ending  of  it." 

A  little  silence  fell  between  the  two  in  the 
room. 


A  STUBBORN  PROPOSITION      167 

"  And  I  might  have  been  there,"  said 
Sempland  at  last. 

"  I  had  rather  see  you  dead,  sir,  than  in 
your  present  case,"  commented  the  general, 
deftly. 

"Yes,  sir,  and  I'd  rather  be  there  my 
self,"  returned  the  young  man,  "  but  I  — 
I  beg  your  pardon,  General,  were  they 
successful?" 

"  In  a  measure.  They  missed  the  Wa- 
bash,  but  blew  up  the  Housafonic." 

"  Did  the  cotton  ships  get  out  ?  " 

"  Unfortunately,  no.  One  of  them  was 
sunk.  The  other  two  returned  in  safety. 
But  all  this  is  beside  the  question.  We  are 
losing  sight  of  the  main  point.  For  the 
last  time,  will  you  tell  me  why  you  failed  to 
be  on  hand  ?  " 

"  General  Beauregard,  as  I  said,  I  would 
rather  be  where  Lacy  is  now  than  have  failed 


168    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

as  I  did,  but  I  cannot  tell  you  what  detained 
me," 

"  For  the  last  time,  Mr.  Sempland,  I  beg 
of  you  to  answer  me.  You  know  the  con 
sequences  ? " 

The  general  spoke  sharply  now.  Such 
determination  and  contumacy  had  at  last  got 
the  better  of  his  patience  and  forbearance. 
He  had  tried  to  save  Sempland,  but  the 
young  officer  would  give  him  no  assistance. 
Well,  on  his  own  head  it  would  be. 

"  You  realize  what  is  before  you,  sir  ? " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  A  court-martial.  Possibly  —  nay,  cer 
tainly,  death.  For  in  the  face  of  your 
refusal  to  explain  I  can  do  nothing  more 
for  you." 

Sempland  bowed  to  the  inevitable. 

"  You  have  said,"  he  began,  "  that  you 
did  not  believe  I  was  a  coward,  nor  a  traitor. 


A  STUBBORN  PROPOSITION      169 

If  you  will  not  allow  the  stigma  of  either  of 
these  charges  to  rest  upon  me,  I  will  bear 
with  equanimity  whatever  punishment  the 
court-martial  may  award." 

"  Even  to  loss  of  life  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  general,  shrugging 
his  shoulders,  a  trick  of  his  French  ancestry. 
"  I  have  done  my  best,  Mr.  Sempland,  for 
you.  As  to  my  personal  beliefs,  I  can  and 
will  express  them,  but  I  cannot  tell  whether 
the  court-martial  will  receive  them  or  not. 
Will  nothing  move  you  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  sir." 

The  general  struck  a  bell  on  the  desk 
before  him. 

"  Orderly,"  he  said,  as  a  soldier  presented 
himself,  "  my  compliments  to  the  assistant 
adjutant-general.  Ask  him  to  come  here. 
Ah,  General  Wylie,"  he  said  as  that  func- 


1 70    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

tionary  presented  himself,  "  will  you  make 
out  an  order  assembling  a  court-martial  to 
try  Lieutenant  Rhett  Sempland,  here,  for 
disobedience  of  orders  and  neglect  of  duty 
in  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  and  —  well, 
that  will  be  enough,  I  think,"  he  continued 
after  a  pause  which  was  fraught  with  agony 
to  Sempland  at  least,  lest  the  general 
should  mention  cowardice  or  treason  again. 
"  Meanwhile  see  that  Mr.  Sempland  is 
carefully  guarded  here  in  the  headquarters 
building." 

"Very  good,  sir,"  said  the  officer,  salut 
ing.     "  This  way,  Mr.  Sempland." 


CHAPTER   XI 
THE    CONFESSION   THAT   CLEARED 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE    CONFESSION    THAT    CLEARED 

As  the  two  men  left  the  room  the  orderly 
entered  it  once  more  and  announced  to  the 
general  that  a  lady  was  below  who  asked 
the  privilege  of  an  interview  with  him. 

"  Lady  ?  What  lady  ? "  demanded  Beau- 
regard,  impatiently. 

He  was  in  no  mood  for  feminine  society 
after  the  difficult  interview  in  which  he  had 
just  participated. 

"  I  think  it  is  Miss  Glen,  sir.  She  says 
she  must  see  you  and  —  " 

"  Ah  !  "  interrupted  the  general,  hastily,  as 
he  recollected  the  scene  on  the  wharf  the 
night  before,  when  Fanny  Glen  had  fainted 


174   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

at  the  news  that  the  boat  was  gone  and  that 
Lacy  had  gone  with  it.  "  Show  her  in  here 
at  once,  orderly." 

He  had  intended  to  seek  her  in  her  house 
in  the  course  of  the  morning  and  break  the 
melancholy  news  to  her  that  the  torpedo 
boat  was  lost  in  all  probability  with  all  on 
board,  for  from  her  agitation  on  the  wharf 
he  inferred  that  her  affections  were  bestowed 
upon  Lacy.  He  was  very  sorry  for  her,  of 
course ;  but  knowing  Lacy  as  he  had,  and 
estimating  Fanny  Glen  as  he  did,  there  was 
a  certain  sense  of  relief  that  she  would  not 
be  condemned  to  a  lifetime  of  misery  which 
such  a  marriage  would  inevitably  have  en 
tailed.  Still  he  pitied  her  profoundly,  and 
he  pitied  her  more  when  she  came  into  the 
private  office  in  the  wake  of  the  orderly  and 
threw  back  her  veil.  Her  beautiful  face 
showed  the  sorrow  under  which  she  labored. 


CONFESSION  THAT  CLEARED     175 

Suffering  had  thrown  a  blight  upon  it.  The 
freshness  and  youth  seemed  to  have  departed 
from  it.  She  was  a  piteous  little  spectacle 
indeed. 

The  general  received  her  with  the  utmost 
cordiality  and  consideration.  He  handed 
her  to  a  chair,  and  bade  the  orderly  see  that 
they  were  not  disturbed  on  any  account. 

"  Miss  Fanny,"  he  began  gently  —  the 
war  had  brought  the  general  and  the  brave 
girl  very  close  together  —  "I  was  coming 
over  to  see  you  in  a  little  while.  You  have 
shown  yourself  a  brave  little  woman  many 
times.  You  need  all  your  courage  now." 

"  Yes,  General,"  said  the  girl,  faintly,  "  I 
know." 

"  You  have  sustained  a  terrible  loss." 
« Is  _  is  —  Mr.  Sempland  —  ? " 
"He  is  well  enough  at  present.     I  refer 
to  your  friend,  Major  Lacy." 


176   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"Is  he—  ?" 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  in  all  probability 
he  has  lost  his  life  in  the  torpedo  boat.  We 
can  get  no  tidings  of  her  or  of  any  of  her 
crew.  She  must  have  sunk  with  the 
ship." 

"  Did  they  succeed,  sir  ? "  interrupted 
Fanny  Glen  with  an  anxiety  and  an  appre 
hension  too  great  to  be  controlled. 

"  They  did,"  returned  Beauregard,  some 
what  surprised  at  her  question,  "  but  the 
torpedo  boat,  I  think,  went  down  with  the 
ship  she  blew  up ;  at  any  rate  no  one  has 
seen  her  or  any  of  her  crew  since  the 
explosion.  I  knew  that  it  was  almost  cer 
tain  death  to  them." 

Fanny  Glen  sank  back  in  the  chair.  She 
almost  lost  consciousness  in  her  agony.  She 
murmured  strange  and  incoherent  words. 
The  general  did  not  understand  them,  but 


CONFESSION  THAT  CLEARED     177 

he  rose,  came  to  her  side,  bent  over  her  and 
took  her  hand,  patting  it  softly. 

"  I  know,  I  know,  my  dear  child,"  he 
said  gently,  "  how  you  must  suffer.  Many 
another  woman  has  had  to  give  up  her 
heart's  desire  for  our  beloved  country. 
Think  of  the  service  he  rendered,  to  you 
and  to  all  of  us  !  Think  of  his  noble  sacri 
fice,  his  death  !  Cherish  his  memory  and  be 
proud  that  he  loved  you  and  that  you  loved 
him.  Few  women  have  done  more  for  the 
South  than  you,  and  there  is  still  much  to 
do.  Work  will  assuage  your  grief,"  con 
tinued  the  general,  laying  his  hand  tenderly 
upon  the  bowed  head.  "  You  will  always  have 
the  deathless  memory  of  his  heroism." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  the  woman,  throwing  back 
her  head,  "you  are  wrong.  You  do  not 
know,  you  do  not  understand.  I  honored 
Major  Lacy,  I  rejoiced  in  his  courage,  but 


178   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

I  did  not  love  him.  It  is  not  he  that  I 
think  of.  It  is  my  father." 

"  Your  father  ?     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Admiral  Vernon." 

"  What ! " 

"Yes,  he  is  my  father.  My  name  is 
Fanny  Glen  Vernon." 

"  Good  heavens  !     It  cannot  be  possible." 

"  It  is  true.  My  mother  was  a  Southern 
woman,  one  of  the  Glens  of  Halifax  —  " 

"  I  knew  her  !  "  exclaimed  Beauregard. 

"  She  died  when  I  was  a  child,  and  I  was 
brought  up  by  her  sister.  My  father — I 
did  not  see  much  of  him.  He  was  a  sailor, 
and  after  my  mother's  death  he  sought  con 
stantly  to  be  in  active  service.  When  the 
war  broke  out  he  said  he  must  stand  by  the 
old  flag.  I  strove  to  persuade  him  differ 
ently.  It  was  horrible  to  me,  to  think  that 
a  son  of  South  Carolina,  and  my  father, 


CONFESSION  THAT  CLEARED     179 

would  fight  against  her.  There  was  a  quarrel 
between  us.  I  told  my  father  I  would  not 
acknowledge  him  any  longer.  I  repudiated 
the  Vernon  name  and  came  here  and  worked 
for  the  South,  as  you  know.  When  I 
learned  yesterday  that  you  were  going  to 
blow  up  the  Wabash —  " 

"  But  my  dear  child,"  interrupted  the 
general,  quickly,  "  we  didn't  blow  up  the 
Wabash." 

"  But  you  said  that  Major  Lacy  had  suc 
ceeded!  "  said  the  girl  in  great  bewilderment. 

"  He  did.  The  Wabash  and  Housatonic 
exchanged  places  during  the  night,  and  the  lat 
ter  was  sunk.  The  Wabash  is  all  right.  For 
your  sake,  my  dear  Miss  Fanny,  I  say 
thank  God  for  the  mistake." 

"  Then  my  father  is  safe  ?  " 

"He  is.  Some  Yankees  we  captured  this 
morning  say  that  he  is  to  be  relieved  of  his 


i8o   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

command  and  ordered  North  on  a  sick  leave. 
He  will  no  longer  be  in  danger  from  us, 
you  see." 

"  Thank  God,  thank  God  !"  cried  the  girl, 
and  the  relief  in  her  voice  and  face  seemed 
to  make  another  woman  of  her.  "  It  was 
wrong,  I  know.  It  was  treason  to  the  South 
—  I  love  the  South  —  but  I  strove  to  pre 
vent—  " 

"  Ah  !  "  exclaimed  Beauregard.  "  I  have 
it  now  !  Sempland  —  " 

"  Oh,  sir  !  "  cried  the  girl,  "  where  is  he  ? " 

"  He  is  preparing,"  continued  Beauregard, 
coolly  —  he  had  the  clew  to  the  mystery 
and  he  determined  to  follow  it  to  the  end  — 
"  to  be  tried  by  a  court-martial  —  " 

"  By  a  court-martial,  General  Beauregard  ! 
For  what,  sir  ?  " 

"  For  disobedience  of  orders  and  neglect 
of  duty,  in  the  face  of  the  enemy.  And  I 


CONFESSION  THAT  CLEARED     181 

am  in  two  minds  whether  to  these  charges 
should  be  added  cowardice  and  treason  or 
not ! " 

"  Impossible  !  "  exclaimed  Fanny  Glen. 

"  Miss  Glen,  it  is  an  absolute  fact.  He 
came  to  me  yesterday  afternoon  and  vol 
unteered  for  the  command  of  the  expedition. 
Begged  for  it,  in  fact.  Major  Lacy  reluc 
tantly  but  generously  yielded  to  him  with 
my  consent." 

"It  was  for  me  he  sought  it,"  said  the 
girl,  full  of  reproach  for  herself.  "  I  had 
mocked  him  for  his  lack  of  distinction,  sir, 
before  he  saw  you.  He  hazarded  his  life 
for  my  approval  and  for  the  cause  of  the 
South." 

A  fuller  light  broke  upon  the  general's 
mind.  He  understood  all  now,  yet  he  went 
on  pitilessly. 

"  After  getting  command  in  this  peculiar 


1 82   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

way  he  failed  to  present  himself  on  the  wharf 
at  the  appointed  time.  We  waited  ten  min 
utes  for  him,  as  long  as  we  dared,  in  fact, 
and  then  as  you  know,  sent  the  boat  out 
under  Major  Lacy." 

"  He  was  detained,"  said  the  girl,  faintly. 

"  So  he  said  when  I  arrested  him  last 
night,  and  he  repeated  the  statement  this 
morning.  I  pressed  him  to  tell  me  by 
whom  and  where  he  had  been  detained,  but 
he  refused  to  tell.  I  plied  him  with  every 
argument  at  my  command.  I  pointed  out 
to  him  the  consequences  of  his  action,  his 
failure  to  justify  himself,  that  is,  showed  him 
clearly  the  penalty  which  the  court-martial 
would  undoubtedly  inflict  upon  him  —  " 

"That  is?" 

"  Death,  madam !  He  will  probably  be 
shot  to-morrow,  for  his  guilt  is  clear." 

The  girl's  head  fell  forward  in  her  hands, 


CONFESSION  THAT  CLEARED     183 

There  was  a  little  silence  in  the  room.  The 
general  watched  her  narrowly,  but  said  noth 
ing  further.  He  was  waiting,  in  full  confi 
dence  that  she  would  speak.  He  could 
afford  to  be  patient  now. 


CHAPTER    XII 
THE   CULPRIT   IS  ARRESTED 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE    CULPRIT    IS    ARRESTED 

"  GENERAL  BEAUREGARD,"  she  whispered 
at  last,  "  I  am  the  traitor.  He  was  detained 
by  me." 

"  That  doesn't  excuse  him,"  said  the 
general,  severely.  "  Any  man  who  fails  in 
his  duty  because  he  succumbs  to  a  woman's 
wiles,  even  though  that  woman  loves  him, 
has  no  plea  to  urge  in  justification.  He  is 
a  soldier.  His  duty  to  obey  orders  is  first 
of  all." 

"  But  —  but  —  you     don't     understand. 

I  —  I  —  kept     him    there     by     force,     sir. 

Major  Lacy  told  me  of  the    expedition  — 

he  and  Mr.  Sempland  had  called  upon  me 

187 


1 88   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

in  the  afternoon.  They  —  they  had  each 
of  them  asked  me  —  in  —  marriage.  We  — 
we  quarrelled.  Mr.  Sempland  left  me  in 
anger,  Major  Lacy  divined  that  I  —  I  — 
cared  for  Mr.  Sempland.  He  came  back 
later  in  the  evening  and  told  me  Mr.  Semp 
land  was  going  to  blow  up  the  Wabash^  and 
he  begged  me  to  see  Mr.  Sempland  again 
and  bid  him  good-by.  I  had  only  two 
thoughts  —  that  it  meant  certain  death'  to 
my  father  and  possibly  Mr.  Sempland  —  the 
man  —  I  —  What  was  I  to  do  ?  I  might 
have  sacrificed  myself  by  letting  Mr.  Semp 
land  run  the  risk,  but  my  father,  sir  —  " 

She  stopped  and  looked  at  him  in  pitiful 
entreaty. 

"  Go  on,"  said  the  general,  inflexibly. 

"I  had  Mr.  Sempland  ushered  into  the 
strong  room  of  the  house  —  the  old  Rennie 
house,  you  know,  sir  ? " 


THE  CULPRIT  IS  ARRESTED      189 

The  general  nodded. 

"The  door  was  locked  on  him  after  he 
entered.  My  three  negro  boys  kept  watch 
outside.  There  was  no  escape  for  him. 
He  beat  and  hammered  on  the  door  until 
his  hands  bled.  He  begged  and  implored 
to  be  released.  It  was  agonizing  to  hear. 
I  did  not  realize  that  he  was  telling  the  truth 
when  he  said  he  was  being  dishonored.  I  had 
no  time  to  consider  anything.  I  only  thought 
of  my  father  —  helpless  on  that  great  ship 
—  the  sudden  rush  of  that  awful  little  boat." 

"  You  were  a  traitor  to  the  South  !  "  said 
General  Beauregard,  coldly. 

"Yes.  God  pity  me,  I  see  it  now,"  an 
swered  the  girl.  ^ 

"  How  did  he  get  away  ?  Did  you  re 
lease  him  ?  "  continued  the  general. 

"  He  swore  that  he  would  kill  himself  if  I 
did  not  open  the  door." 


190   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  Did  you  open  it  ? " 

"Yes." 

"  Then  did  he  burst  through  you  and 
the  men  ? " 

"  No.  They  were  armed  and  would  have 
killed  him.  He  could  not  have  made  his 
escape  that  way.  He  begged  me  to  speak 
to  him  alone  for  a  moment.  I  went  into 
the  room  and  shut  the  door.  He  seized 
me  in  his  arms  and  then  put  his  pistol  to 
my  head,  threatening  to  kill  me  if  I  did 
not  order  the  door  opened." 

"  And  you  obeyed  ?  " 

"  No,  I  refused.  Then  he  called  out  to 
the  slaves  to  open  at  once  or  he  would  kill 
me,  their  mistress." 

"  What  happened  then  ?  " 

"  I  ordered  them  not  to  open  the  door, 
to  let  me  die.  But  they  did  as  he  said. 
He  made  them  leave  the  hall.  They 


"  <  You  were  a  traitor  to  the  South  ! '   said  General  Beauregard, 
coldly." 


THE  CULPRIT  IS  ARRESTED      193 

obeyed  him  in  spite  of  my  protests.  Then 
he  threw  me  aside,  and  ran  to  the  wharf.  I 
followed  after.  The  rest  you  know.  It 
was  useless  after  all.  I  thought  no  one 
would  go  if  he  did  not.  I  thought  if  I 
could  detain  him  a  night  —  get  some  delay 
—  I  would  come  here  in  the  morning  and 
tell  you  the  truth  and  ask  you  to  spare  my 
father." 

"  Miss  Glen,"  said  the  little  general,  "  I 
would  not  spare  my  own  father  if  my  duty 
demanded  that  he  be  sacrificed." 

"  I  suppose  so.  You  are  a  man,  you 
cannot  understand.  I  am  a  woman.  There 
were  but  two  I  loved  on  earth.  I  was 
ashamed  of  my  father,  but  I  loved  him. 
Four  years  of  war  have  taught  me  other 
things.  I  am  sorry  that  he  did  not  go  with 
the  South,  but  it  is  not  for  me  to  judge  him. 
I  could  not  see  him  condemned  to  death 


i94   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

and  not  raise  a  hand  to  save  him.  And  I 
discovered  too  late  that  I  —  I  —  cared  for 
Mr.  Sempland.  I  drove  him  from  me  in 
scorn  and  contempt — I  taunted  him.  He 
sought  that  detail  to  prove  his  courage,  I 
could  not  let  him  go  to  certain  death.  If  he 
did  it  would  be  my  fault,  I  would  have  mur 
dered  him.  Pity  me  !  I  am  only  a  woman. 
Try  to  understand  !  " 

"  But  the  young  man  has  proven  his 
courage  —  " 

"  I  know,  I  know  !  I  never  doubted  it," 
she  interrupted. 

"  By  keeping  silent  this  morning,  by 
facing  certain  death  upon  charges  that  are 
worse  than  the  punishment  to  a  soldier,  in 
that  they  blast  his  fame,"  said  the  general. 

"  Thank  God  for  that  kindness  to  me !  " 

"  And  he  did  all  this  for  you." 

"  He  loves  me,  as  I  love  him." 


THE  CULPRIT  IS  ARRESTED      195 

"  But  your  love  has  disgraced  him,  his  has 
protected  you." 

The  girl  shrank  before  the  stern  words  of 
the  soldier. 

"  Yes,"  she  said  faintly,  "  it  is  as  you 
say.  I  alone  am  to  blame.  Let  mine  alone 
be  the  punishment.  I  will  tell  all  to  the 
court.  He  must  be  cleared  !  " 

"It  is  just,"  said  Beauregard.  "You 
have  committed  an  act  of  treason  against 
the  South.  There  is,  however,  some  excuse 
for  your  action,  and  your  previous  record  in 
the  hospital  service  has  been  such  as  to  en 
title  you  to  every  consideration.  I  am  dis 
posed  to  be  lenient,  but  the  offence  is  one  I 
cannot  condone.  I  will  have  to  put  you 
under  guard  until  I  can  consider  what  is  best 
to  be  done." 

"  I  make  no  protest,"  said  Fanny  Glen. 
"You  will,  of  course,  release  Mr.  Semp- 


196    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

land  from  arrest,  and  see  that  his  reputa 
tion  takes  no  hurt  ?  " 

"I  will  attend  to  that." 

He  struck  a  bell  again  and  summoned 
the  assistant  adjutant-general  once  more. 
Fanny  Glen  dropped  her  veil  so  that  her 
face  was  concealed  from  the  officer.  He 
did  not  perceive  what  she  had  suffered 
and  was  suffering.  Yet  her  heart  was  full 
of  relief — her  father  was  safe,  her  lover 
would  be  free,  and,  best  of  all,  she  had 
such  testimony  as  few  women  have  received 
to  the  depth  and  power  of  his  passion. 
He  loved  her  indeed.  There  was  a  joy 
in  that  thought  that  set  her  heart  beating. 

The  general  drew  his  subordinate  into  a 
corner  of  the  room,  where  they  conversed 
earnestly  for  a  few  moments.  Then  they 
came  back  to  the  young  girl. 

"Adjutant-General  Wylie,"  said  the  com- 


THE  CULPRIT  IS  ARRESTED      197 

mander-in-chief,  "you  will  take  charge  of 
Miss  Glen.  You  will  follow  him,  Miss 
Glen.  I  will  communicate  my  further 
plans  within  an  hour." 

There  was  something  intensely  pathetic 
in  the  droop  of  the  little  figure,  in  spite 
of  the  comforting  thoughts  that  had  come 
to  her,  when  the  girl  rose  and  followed 
the  soldier  from  the  room. 

The  general  was  almost  persuaded  to 
call  after  her  a  reassuring  word  or  two, 
but  he  restrained  himself  and  said  nothing. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

COMPANIONS   IN   MISERY 


CHAPTER   XIII 

COMPANIONS    IN    MISERY 

IT  is  conceivable  that  a  man  could  man 
age  to  bear  without  repining  the  loss  of 
fame  and  fortune,  that  he  could  survive 
deprivation  of  rank  and  station  with  equa 
nimity,  nay,  more,  that  he  might  even 
contemplate  with  a  philosophic  indifference 
an  impending  forfeiture  of  life,  provided 
he  had  love  to  sustain  him.  But  when 
that  is  lost,  and  consequently  everything  is 
gone,  he  has  to  fall  back  upon  conscious 
rectitude  alone,  which  is  well  enough  in 
schemes  of  philosophy,  but  most  inade 
quate  in  the  emergencies  and  crises  of  real 
life. 

201 


202   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

Lieutenant  Rhett  Sempland,  under  arrest, 
in  confinement,  awaiting  trial,  alone  and 
unvisited  by  anyone,  —  which  meant  Fanny 
Glen, — felt  that  morning  as  if  he  had  in 
deed  lost  everything.  He  had  been  certain 
at  first  that  Fanny  Glen  had  returned  his 
swift,  impulsive  caress  in  the  strong  room 
even  in  the  peculiar  circumstances  under 
which  he  had  bestowed  it  upon  her,  and 
he  had  therefore  naturally  inferred  that  she 
loved  him.  Indeed,  when  he  thought  of 
the  look  in  her  eyes  when  he  strained  her 
to  his  breast,  although  he  had  the  pistol 
pointed  at  her  forehead,  the  conviction  was 
strong  within  him. 

Yet,  again  and  again  this  proposition  pre 
sented  itself  to  him,  crushing  his  hope  and 
breaking  his  heart :  How  could  a  woman 
who  loved  a  man,  and  a  woman  especially 
who  had  become  sufficiently  conversant  with 


COMPANIONS  IN   MISERY        203 

military  affairs  through  her  hospital  service 
and  other  experiences  in  this  war  to  under 
stand  what  she  was  doing,  have  placed  her 
lover  in  so  compromising  a  position  ? 

And  most  damnably  crushing  thought  of 
all,  why  had  she  not  had  the  common 
decency  after  all  to  come  and  see  him  this 
morning  ?  He  was  in  trouble,  and  he  suf 
fered  for  her  sake.  She  must  know  that, 
she  must  realize  it.  Why  did  she  give  no 
sign  of  it  ? 

His  loneliness  and  his  craving  to  see  her 
was  terrible.  His  desire  to  see  her  grew 
with  every  passing  moment,  he  was  con 
sumed  by  it ;  yet,  he  thought  bitterly,  to 
what  purpose,  after  all  ? 

Some  of  this  had  come  to  him  last  night ; 
but  the  more  he  thought  of  it,  the  more 
uncertain,  miserable,  and  deserted  he  felt. 
So  it  is  not  strange  that  it  was  not  so 


204   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

much  his  own  impending  fate  as  it  was 
the  hopeless  endeavor  to  discover  the  real 
reason  for  Fanny  Glen's  conduct  which  en 
grossed  his  attention  that  fateful  morning. 
He  had  failed  miserably,  officially  and 
personally.  He  decided,  against  heart  and 
hope,  at  last,  that  he  had  made  no  progress 
in  his  love  affair.  The  woman  he  adored 
had  given  him  convincing  proof,  so  he 
argued,  rebellious  against  the  conclusion  to 
the  last,  that  his  professional  future  was  a 
matter  of  indifference  to  her;  nay,  that  his 
very  life  was  a  thing  she  would  jeopard  or 
even  forfeit  lightly.  Lacy,  as  usual,  had 
stepped  in  the  breach  and  earned  immortal 
fame,  even  if  he  had  to  die  to  secure  it. 
Sempland  envied  him  his  rest,  with  his 
brave  companions  in  arms  in  the  desperate 
sea  venture,  beneath  the  cool,  green  waters 
of  the  ocean  that  laved  their  beloved  shore. 


COMPANIONS  IN  MISERY        205 

Well,  there  was  no  use  in  worrying  or 
speculating  any  longer.  It  would  all  be 
over  soon  now.  He  was  sufficiently  expe 
rienced  as  a  soldier  to  know  what  would 
happen  to  him.  There  was  only  one  pos 
sible  verdict,  only  one  punishment  for  the 
crimes  with  which  he  was  charged. 

When  he  was  sentenced  to  death,  his 
friends  would  undoubtedly  move  heaven 
and  earth  to  get  President  Davis  to  miti 
gate  or  commute  his  punishment;  but  he 
was  resolved  in  his  own  mind  firmly  to 
discourage  such  efforts.  He  took  a  gloomy 
view  of  life  and  of  love  and  of  women  — 
do  they  not  always  go  together  in  the 
heart  of  youth  ?  There  was  nothing  now, 
therefore,  for  which  he  cared  to  live. 

Yet  if  he  could  only  see  Fanny  Glen 
again  !  Why  did  she  not  send  some  one  to 
inquire  as  to  his  whereabouts  ?  Surely  she 


206   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

might  ask  after  his  welfare.  She  must  know 
he  was  under  arrest.  Why  could  she  not 
come  herself?  He  was  sacrificing  himself 
for  her,  to  preserve  her  freedom,  ay,  her 
honor  and  reputation.  She  might  not  love 
him,  but  at  least  she  might  have  manifested 
a  decent  interest  in  his  fate.  The  barest 
politeness  ought  to  make  a  woman  take 
some  thought  for  a  man  who  was  about  to 
be  shot  for  her  sake,  he  thought  bitterly. 

Well,  he  swore  to  himself,  if  she  should 
come  at  the  last  moment,  she  would  find 
him  as  cold  as  ice,  as  indifferent  as  a 
Laodicean !  He  would  show  her  that  he 
appreciated  at  its  true  value  not  only  her 
heinous  conduct,  but  her  criminal  neglect  as 
well.  He  would  make  her  understand  that 
it  was  not  love  for  her  that  kept  him  silent. 
Oh,  no  !  Simply  the  obligation  of  a  gentle 
man,  a  man  of  honor,  albeit  a  quixotic  one. 


COMPANIONS  IN  MISERY        207 

Oh,  noble  resolution !  He  would  go 
to  his  grave  silent,  loading  upon  her  the 
weight  of  an  obligation,  from  which  she 
should  never  escape.  When  the  war  was 
over  she  might  marry  that  man  on  the 
Wabash  whom  she  had  been  so  anxious  to 
save  that  she  had  pretended  love  for  him  — 
Sempland  !  Yes,  he  would  be  under  obliga 
tion,  too,  this  Union  sailor,  for  to  Sempland 
would  be  due  his  possession  of  Fanny  Glen. 

The  imprisoned  officer  ground  his  teeth 
in  rage  at  that  thought  and  turned  suddenly 
from  the  barred  window  where  he  had  been 
standing  listlessly  looking  down  the  bay 
toward  old  Fort  Sumter,  almost  knocked  to 
pieces  by  fierce  bombardments,  yet  still  fly 
ing  the  Stars  and  Bars  in  brave  defiance  of 
the  ironclads  far  away,  and  with  clenched 
hands,  firm-set  lips,  and  troubled  brow,  be 
gan  pacing  up  and  down  the  long  apart- 


208   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

ment.  The  moments  dragged  miserably. 
He  wished  they  would  assemble  that  court- 
martial  and  have  it  over  with.  He  would 
not  care  what  they  did,  he  thought  savagely. 
He  was  sick  and  tired  of  the  whole  business 
—  the  war,  the  South,  General  Beauregard, 
Fanny  Glen,  everything,  everybody ! 

Suddenly  he  heard  footsteps,  the  clanking 
of  a  sword,  a  word  or  two  exchanged  between 
the  sentry  and  a  newcomer,  in  the  corridor. 
Some  one  turned  the  handle  of  the  door. 
It  was  opened. 

Sempland  instantly  stood  at  attention, 
then  folded  his  arms  with  great  dignity, 
expecting,  of  course,  to  confront  some  one 
sent  to  fetch  him  to  the  opening  session  of 
the  court.  General  Beauregard  was  remark 
able  for  his  promptness  and  celerity,  and  he 
had  declared  that  the  young  man  should 
be  tried  immediately.  He  had  wondered 


COMPANIONS  IN  MISERY        209 

already  at  the  unnecessary  delay.  But  no 
stern-featured,  dignified  official  presented 
himself.  Sempland's  astonished  gaze  fell 
upon  the  small  figure  of  a  woman ! 

The  door  was  instantly  closed  and  locked 
behind  her  without  a  word  of  explanation 
from  those  outside,  and  the  two  were  alone 
in  a  locked  room  for  the  second  time  in 
twenty-four  hours.  There  was  a  difference 
in  the  situation  that  morning,  although  the 
man  did  not  know  it.  On  this  occasion 
Fanny  Glen  was  a  prisoner  as  well  as  he. 

He  could  not  see  her  face  as  her  veil  still 
remained  down,  yet  there  was  no  mistaking 
her  form.  Indeed  he  felt  that  had  it  been 
midnight  he  would  have  recognized  her  pres 
ence.  His  heart  leaped  within  his  breast  at 
the  sight  of  her.  He  thought  it  beat  so  she 
might  almost  have  heard  it  in  the  perfect 
silence  that  had  fallen  between  them. 


2io    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

His  first  impulse  was  to  run  toward  her 
and  take  her  in  his  arms  once  more.  Above 
all  his  troubled  conclusions  of  the  night 
before  the  recollection  of  that  instant  when 
he  had  held  her  so  closely  still  remained 
dominant.  In  her  presence  he  almost  for 
got  everything  but  that.  Yet  he  looked  at 
her  impassively  for  a  moment,  bowed  slightly, 
then  turned  and  walked  deliberately  to  the 
other  end  of  the  room,  resuming  his  station 
at  the  window  looking  out  to  sea. 

She  had  an  excellent  view  of  his  back. 
The  beating  of  his  heart  did  not  manifest 
itself  outwardly  after  all.  To  her  gaze  he 
appeared  as  impassive,  as  quiet,  as  motion 
less,  as  if  he  had  been  cut  out  of  iron  like 
the  grated  bars.  It  was  a  most  unsatisfac 
tory  beginning  to  what  must  prove  an  im 
portant  interview.  They  played  at  cross 
purposes  indeed.  He  had  sacrificed  him- 


COMPANIONS  IN  MISERY        211 

self  to  save  her,  she  had  sacrificed  herself  to 
save  him,  and  here  they  were  both  prisoners 
apparently,  and  things  were  as  unsettled  as 
ever ! 

Poor  Fanny  Glen  was  infinitely  more  sur 
prised  at  the  sight  of  her  lover  than  he  had 
been  at  the  sight  of  her.  Not  until  she 
had  fairly  entered  the  room  and  the  door 
had  been  closed  behind  her  had  she  realized 
that  she  was  not  alone,  that  he  was  there. 
She  stood  rooted  to  the  spot,  waiting  to  see 
what  he  would  do.  Had  he  followed  his 
first  impulse,  which  would  have  been  to 
sweep  her  to  his  breast,  he  would  have 
found  her  unresisting,  submissive,  acquies 
cent.  The  kiss  which  had  been  given  her 
last  night  still  trembled  upon  her  lips.  It 
was  for  the  taking,  she  was  his  for  the  asking. 

Yet  his  first  movement,  save  for  that 
cold,  perfunctory  salutation,  had  been  one  of 


212    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

indifference  amounting  to  contempt.  He 
despised  her,  then ;  he  hated  her.  She  had 
brought  him  to  a  terrible  position.  Ah, 
well,  he  would  be  sorry  for  her  when  he 
learned  her  reason,  and  he  would  be  more 
sorry  for  his  treatment  of  her  when  he 
learned  that  he  would  be  free  and  she  would 
suffer  for  it,  not  he. 

There  was  something  very  attractive,  after 
all,  in  her  possible  martyrdom.  The  thought 
gave  her  not  a  little  comfort.  She  was  sur 
prised  that  Sempland  had  not  been  imme 
diately  summoned  to  the  general's  presence 
when  she  had  been  put  under  guard.  She 
supposed,  however,  that  the  delay  was  due 
to  some  military  technicality,  and  she  imag 
ined  that  the  next  moment  would  see  him 
called  from  the  room  in  her  presence.  And 
she  would  be  left  alone,  most  miserably, 
forlornly  alone  to  face  her  fate. 


COMPANIONS  IN  MISERY        213 

Being  a  martyr  is  certainly  a  fine  thing, 
but  the  position  loses  half  its  charm  unless 
people  know  it.  To  complete  her  melan 
choly  satisfaction,  he  —  and  he  considered 
himself  the  martyr,  not  she  !  —  must  recog 
nize  it.  If  he  would  only  turn  and  speak  to 
her.  This  silence,  this  immobility,  on  his 
part,  was  unbearable. 

She  coughed  gently  and  took  a  step  or 
two  across  the  floor  toward  him.  He  gave 
no  sign  that  he  heard  her.  How  cruel  he 
was  !  So  despotic,  so  determined,  so  master 
ful  !  She  abominated  a  masterful  man  ! 
She  coughed  again,  and  this  time  a  little 
more  emphatically.  Still  no  attention.  It 
was  discouraging ! 

There  was  a  small  mirror  upon  the  wall 
of  the  room.  Her  eye  in  accordance  with 
an  instinct  feminine,  fell  swiftly  upon  it. 
She  lifted  her  veil  to  see  how  far  the  expe- 


214   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

riences  she  had  gone  through  had  affected 
her  most  potent  talisman. 

"  Heavens  !  "  she  thought,  "  what  a 
fright !  " 

To  take  off  her  hat  was  the  work  of  a 
moment.  Her  swift,  subtle  fingers  busied 
themselves  with  her  rebellious  curls. 
Another  glance  reassured  her  a  little.  She 
felt  more  confident.  She  coughed  again, 
but  as  before,  he  did  not  move. 

"  Mr.  Sempland,"  she  said  softly  at  last, 
in  sheer  desperation. 

He  turned  on  his  heel  as  suddenly  as 
if  he  had  been  moved  by  a  spring,  and 
faced  her.  He  had  been  longing  for  a 
chance  to  recede  from  his  position. 

"  Miss  Glen,"  he  answered  with  de 
pressing  coldness. 

"  You  —  you  —  don't  —  seem  very  glad 
—  to  see  me,  sir." 


COMPANIONS  IN  MISERY        215 

The  moment  was  one  of  great  importance 
to  both  of  them ;  their  future,  the  life  and 
happiness  of  one,  the  honor  and  good  name 
of  the  other,  depended  upon  it  —  so  they 
thought  at  least.  The  conversation  ac 
cordingly  began,  as  conversations  under 
such  circumstances  usually  begin,  in  trivi 
alities. 

"  I  am  not,"  he  answered  shortly  and 
mendaciously  as  well. 

"  I  suppose  not.  I  noticed  that  you  — 
your  welcome  —  wasn't  very  cordial,  I  am 
sure." 

"  I  didn't  mean  it  to  be." 

"  Why  didn't  you  order  me  out  of  your 
room,  then  ? "  she  went  on  with  becoming 
humility. 

"  This  room  is  not  mine,  I  am  a  pris 
oner,  madam.  I  have  no  choice  as  to  my 
guests." 


216   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  But  you  will  soon  be  free,"  returned 
the  girl,  quietly.  "  That  is,  as  soon  as 
General  Beauregard  learns  that  I  —  I  —  " 

"  Give  yourself  no  concern,  Miss  Glen," 
he  said  loftily ;  "  I  shall  not  betray  you." 

"  What !  You  won't  tell  him  ?  "  with 
a  perfect  assumption  of  profound  amaze 
ment. 

"I  will  not,"  sternly. 

"  But  they  say  —  I  heard  —  you  are  to 
—  be  —  court-martialled." 

Her  voice  sank  to  a  low  whisper,  as  if 
she  were  awestricken  by  the  heavy  tidings. 

"  I  am." 

"  And  that  you  will  be  found  guilty  —  " 

"I  shall  be." 

"  And  —  you  may  —  be  —  shot !  " 

"You  should  have  thought  of  that  last 
night  when  you  arrested  me,  imprisoned 
me,  and  so  made  me  false  to  my  duty; 


COMPANIONS  IN  MISERY        217 

but  what's  the  use  — "  He  checked  the 
swift  rush  of  his  indignation  and  continued 
in  bitter  calm  :  "  A  woman  who  could  so 
trifle  with  a  soldier's  honor  cannot  appre 
ciate  the  consequences  to  him." 

"  I  am  sure,"  she  went  on  very  humbly, 
"  that  I  didn't  realize  what  would  happen." 

"  Of  course  not,"  sarcastically. 

"  And  I  am  willing  to  make  any  amends 
that  I  can.  I  will  tell  General  Beauregard 
myself  that  I  did  it.  That  it  was  my 
fault.  That  I  alone  am  to  blame." 

"  I  forbid  you  to  do  it ! "  he  exclaimed 
with  great  energy. 

"  I  do  not  care  what  you  say,  I  shall 
do  it !  "  stubbornly. 

"You  do  not  know  what  it  means,"  he 
urged,  his  heart  leaping  at  the  thought 
that  she  was  willing  to  set  him  right  and 
take  the  blame  upon  herself —  and  she 


218   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

loved  him  after  all  !  Yet  he  could  not 
permit  her  to  do  it.  "  You  do  not  know 
what  this  would  mean  to  you,"  he  repeated. 
"  It  was  an  act  of  high  treason  to  the 
South.  They  will  put  you  in  my  place. 
They  will  certainly  punish  you." 

"  Would  they  shoot  me  ? "  she  in 
quired  in  her  most  terrified  manner,  her 
eyes  wide  open  with  beautifully  simulated 
terror. 

He  felt  so  sorry  for  the  poor  little 
frightened  thing.  He  longed  to  gather 
her  up  in  his  arms  and  comfort  her,  re 
assure  her. 

"  They  might,"  he  returned,  stepping 
nearer  to  her  and  visibly  unbending.  "  I 
cannot  have  you  take  the  risk.  1  won't 
allow  it!" 

There  was  something  nice,  after  all,  in 
the  imperative  mood,  she  thought. 


"  '  Would  they  shoot  me  ?  '   she  inquired." 


COMPANIONS  IN  MISERY        221 

"  But  how  will  you  prevent  it,  Mr. 
Sempland  ? " 

"  I  tell  you,  I  forbid  you  ! " 

"  But  if  I  disobey  ?  I  never  promised 
to  obey  you,  did  I  ?  —  that  is,  not  yet  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  compel  you,  of  course,"  he 
answered  sadly,  drawing  back  a  little.  "  I 
know  I  have  neither  power  nor  influence 
over  you,  Miss  Glen,  but  this,  at  least,  I 
can  do.  I  can  swear  that  you  are  not 
telling  the  truth." 

"  I  am  sure  they  would  not  believe  you 
against  me,"  she  retorted  vehemently. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE  WOMAN   EXPLAINS 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE    WOMAN    EXPLAINS 

"  I  THINK  they  would  believe  me  against 
even  you,"  answered  Sempland.  "  I  would 
tell  them  that  you  —  ah  —  love  me  and  that 
you  are  trying  to  save  me.  And  more,  if 
you  say  one  word  to  General  Beauregard, 
or  any  one  else  about  it  after  you  leave  this 
room,  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor  I  will 
declare  that  I  was  afraid  to  go  and  that  I 
stayed  with  you." 

"  Why  will  you  be  so  foolish  ? "  she 
asked. 

"  Because  I  love  you,"  he  burst  out, 
"  that's  the  only  reason.  I  have  told  you 
before,  but  you  did  not  seem  to  believe  it, 

Q  225 


226   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

at  least  you  did  not  appear  to  care;  but 
now  it  won't  hurt  you  to  hear  it  once  more. 
You  won't  have  to  hear  it  again  from  me. 
It's  the  last  time.  I  expect  every  moment 
they  will  be  here  to  summon  me  before 
the  court-martial,  so  I  must  tell  you  now. 
You  are  a  cruel,  heartless  coquette.  You 
encouraged  Lacy  —  " 

"  I  did  not !  "  indignantly. 

"  And  you  didn't  discourage  me." 

"  How  dare  you  say  so  ?  " 

"  Last  night  when  I  held  you  in  my  arms 
and  kissed  you  —  " 

"  I  was  powerless  —  " 

"  When  I  released  you  you  clasped  me 
around  the  neck  and  returned  my  caress. 
I'll  swear  you  did,  and  all  the  time  you 
had  another  man  in  your  heart." 

"  Another  man  ?  "  she  exclaimed  in  great 
astonishment. 


THE  WOMAN  EXPLAINS         227 

tf  Yes.  That  man  on  the  Wabash  I  " 
"  Oh,  the  man  on  the  Wabash  I  " 
"Yes.  You  wanted  to  save  him.  So 
you  played  with  me.  Why  weren't  you 
honest  about  it?  Why  didn't  you  tell  me 
the  truth?  But  no,  you  chose  to  disgrace 
me  for  him.  Well,  you  succeeded.  I  shall 
pay  the  penalty.  I  shall  keep  silent  for 
your  sake.  He  may  have  you  and  you  may 
have  him,  but  my  death  will  be  ever  between 
you.  The  burden  of  obligation  will  be 
heavy  upon  you  both,  more  than  you  can 
carry ! " 

He  had  worked  himself  up  into  a  jealous 
rage  by  this  time.  His  self-control  was 
completely  gone. 

"  Who  is  this  man  ? "  he  burst  out  at 
last,  while  she  took  a  wicked  joy  in  his 
misapprehension. 

"  His  —  his  —  name  —  is  —  "  she  spoke 


228   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

slowly  and  with  seeming  reluctance,  as  if  to 
spare  him. 

"  Then  there  is  a  man  ?  Good  God !  I 
had  hoped,  in  spite  of  everything,  that  I 
might  have  been  mistaken,  that  you  acted 
so  for  some  other  reason.  Do  you  love 
him  ? " 

"Yes,"  faintly,  turning  away  her  head. 

"  Do  you  really  love  him,  or  are  you 
making  a  fool  of  him  as  you  did  of  me  ?  " 

"  But  I  —  love  you,  too,"  she  said  de 
murely,  slowly  dropping  her  head  so  that 
her  face  was  half  hidden  from  his  intent 
gaze. 

"  How  can  you  love  both  of  us  ? "  he 
exclaimed,  angered  beyond  endurance  by 
her  apparent  coquetry. 

"  It's  —  it's  —  different,"  she  answered 
demurely. 

"If  Lacy  were  here,  I  suppose  he  would 


THE  WOMAN  EXPLAINS         229 

understand,  but  women  such  as  you  are 
beyond  me." 

"  It  seems  so." 

"  But  why  prolong  this  interview  longer, 
Miss  Glen  ?  Your  secret  is  safe  with  me. 
Probably  you  came  here  to  learn  that.  I 
will  not  allow  you  to  betray  it,  either;"  — 
how  inconsistent  he  was,  she  thought;  — 
"  you  know  that  I  love  you,  and  I  know 
that  you  do  not  love  me,  that  your  heart  is 
with  that  man  on  the  ship.  Won't  you 
please  leave  me  to  myself?  I  really  shall 
need  all  my  self-command,  my  strength,  to 
face  the  court-martial,  and  you  —  you  —  un 
man  me.  I  thank  you  for  coming  to  see 
me,  but  —  forgive  my  apparent  discourtesy 
—  I  would  rather  be  alone.  Good-by." 

"  Wait,"  she  said.  "  That  man  on  the 
W 'abash  —  " 

"  By   heaven  !  "  he   interrupted   savagely 


230   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

• 

—  he  was  a  man  of  somewhat  elemental 
passions  when  he  was  aroused,  and  he  was 
thoroughly  aroused  then  — "  have  you  no 
mercy,  no  pity  ?  This  is  too  much !  I 
don't  want  to  hear  a  word  about  him. 
Whoever  he  is  I  —  " 

"  Stop,  sir  !  "  cried  the  girl,  impressively, 
"  or  you  will  say  something  for  which  you 
will  be  sorry." 

"  Sorry !  I  should  like  to  have  him 
within  reach  of  my  hand  !  "  he  said  grimly, 
extending  his  arm  as  he  spoke,  and  his  ex 
pression  was  not  pleasant  to  see.  "  I'd  —  " 

"  I  am  sure,"  she  went  on  hurriedly,  cut 
ting  him  off,  "you  would  not  do  a  thing 
to  him  if  he  stood  right  here." 

"  Would  I  not  ?  And  pray,  why  not  ?  " 
he  asked  her  bitterly. 

"Because  —  " 

She    stopped,   reluctant    to   disclose    her 


THE  WOMAN  EXPLAINS         231 

secret.  Once  she  did  so  her  power  was 
gone. 

"  Because  —  "  she  said  again. 

"  Tell  me  in  heaven's  name !  You  tor 
ture  me ! " 

"  Because  he  —  is  —  my  —  " 

Again  she  stopped,  and  again  his  anxiety 
got  the  better  of  him.  He  caught  her 
hands  in  his  own  and  held  them  with  a 
grasp  that  hurt  her. 

"  My  God,  will  you  cease  this  cruelty  ? 
He  is  not  your  —  you  are  not  really  mar 
ried  to  him,  are  you  ?  " 

"  Hardly.  Let  go  of  my  hands,"  she 
answered,  striving  to  draw  away :  yet  for  a 
fairly  strong  young  woman  she  exhibited 
an  astonishing  feebleness  in  her  endeavor. 

"  Who  is  he  ?  "  with  imperious  insistence. 

"  My  father  —  there  !  Now,  will  you 
release  me  ? " 


232   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  Your  father !  And  there  is  no  other 
man  ? "  in  great  bewilderment,  through 
which  the  glimmering  of  greater  relief  be 
gan  to  shine. 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  And  you  did  this  for  him  alone  ? " 

"  N o-o-o,"  with  reluctance,  "  not  alto 
gether  for  him  alone." 

«  Who  else  then  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  last  night,"  she  answered 
evasively. 

"  For  me  ?  " 

"  Ye-es,"  faintly.  "  I  could  not  bear  to 
see  you  lose  your  —  your  life." 

Slowly  she  felt  herself  being  drawn  nearer 
to  him.  She  struggled  feebly,  glad  to  be 
overborne  by  his  superior  strength.  In 
another  moment  she  was  in  his  arms  for 
the  second  time.  Her  head  was  bent  down 
toward  his  waistcoat  pocket.  Holding  her 


THE  WOMAN  EXPLAINS          233 

safe  with  one  arm  he  put  his  hand  under 
her  chin,  and  turned  her  face  upward. 
There  were  blushes  on  her  cheeks,  laughter 
and  tears  in  her  eyes.  The  interrupted  kiss 
trembled  upon  her  lips,  and  he  —  well,  this 
time  it  was  longer  than  the  night  before 
and  more  satisfying.  As  he  kissed  her 
her  arms  went  around  his  neck  again. 

"  There  was  no  other  man,"  she  whis 
pered,  "  there  never  was  any  one  but  you. 
I  did  wrong,  very  wrong,  but  my  father 
and  you  —  that  was  my  excuse.  And  I 
loved  you  all  the  time." 

When  there  was  opportunity  some  mo 
ments  later  for  articulate  conversation,  he 
endeavored  to  solve  the  mystery  of  her 
paternity,  the  understanding  of  which  he 
had  put  by  in  the  face  of  more  pressing 
business  —  or  pleasure. 

"  Then  your  name  isn't  Fanny  Glen  ? " 


234    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"That's  part  of  it." 

"What's  the  rest  of  it?" 

"  Fanny  Glen  Vernon." 

"What!  Is  Admiral  Vernon  your 
father  ? " 

"He  is." 

"How  is  that?" 

"  When  the  war  broke  out  he  stayed 
with  the  North,  was  true  to  his  flag,  he 
said.  I  had  seen  little  of  him  since  my 
mother's  death,  when  I  was  ten  years  old. 
I  was  a  Southern  woman.  It  seemed  mon 
strous  to  me.  I  begged  and  implored  him, 
but  uselessly,  and  finally  our  relations  were 
broken  off.  So  I  dropped  the  name  of 
Vernon,  and  came  here  to  work  for  our 
cause,  the  rest  you  know.  But  I  could 
not  let  him  be  blown  up  unsuspecting, 
could  I  ?  If  he  were  killed  in  action,  it 
would  be  terrible  enough,  but  this  was  a 


THE  WOMAN  EXPLAINS         235 

dreadful  ending.  I  thought  —  I  don't  know 
what  I  thought.  I  love  the  South,  but  —  " 

"  I  understand,  my  dearest,"  he  said,  in 
no  condition  to  understand  anything  very 
clearly,  and  caring  little  for  the  moment 
for  anything  except  that  she  loved  him. 

"  And  you  forgive  me  ? " 

"  Forgive  you  ?  With  all  my  soul. 
This  moment  with  you  in  my  arms,  with 
your  arms  around  my  neck,  with  your 
kisses  upon  my  lips,  with  your  words  in 
my  ear,  with  your  love  in  my  heart  —  this 
makes  up  for  everything !  I  shall  go  to 
my  death  gladly." 

"  To  your  death ! "  she  exclaimed,  draw 
ing  away  from  him  in  surprise  and  alarm. 

"  Yes.  Your  confession  to  me  makes  no 
difference." 

"  But  I  will  tell  the  general." 

"  I  forbid  it !     Darling,   you    have  com- 


236   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

mitted  an  act  of  treason  to  the  South,  and 
while  your  love  for  your  father  —  and  for 
me  —  has  explained  it,  you  could  not  make 
such  a  plea  as  that  before  any  court-martial 
composed  of  soldiers.  You  would  only 
harm  yourself,  and  you  would  not  help  me, 
and  so  I  won't  allow  it." 

"  But  I  must  tell  the  general ! "  she  per 
sisted. 

"  Dearest,  no,"  said  Sempland,  smiling 
fondly  at  her.  "  We  will  anticipate  what 
might  have  been.  If  all  had  gone  well, 
you  would  have  promised  to  obey  me  be 
fore  the  altar.  Would  you  not  ?  " 

She  nodded  with  astonishing  docility. 

"Well,  then  — " 

"And  if  I  will  not?" 

"  Why,  then,  I  shall  have  to  discredit 
you,  as  I  threatened,  and  my  own  situation 
will  be  more  serious  than  before,  for  I  shall 


THE  WOMAN  EXPLAINS         237 

brand  myself  as  a  coward,  as  well,  and  you 
would  not  like  your  lover  to  have  that 
stigma  on  him." 

"You  will  not  let  me  save  you,  then ? " 

"No,"  answered  the  man,  sighing  deeply, 
"and  life  is  so  different  to  me  now.  I 
didn't  care  an  hour  ago  what  happened, 
but  now  —  " 

There  was  a  tap  on  the  door. 

"What  is  it?"  he  called  out  impatiently. 

"It's  me,  Lieutenant  Sempland  —  Ser 
geant  Slattery,"  answered  the  sergeant  of 
the  guard,  a  whilom  friend  to  the  prisoner. 
"  On  me  own  account,  sor,  I  come  to  tell 
ye  that  they'll  be  afther  comin'  for  ye  in 
a  few  minutes,  an'  ye'd  better  git  ready  fer 
'em.  If  ye  have  anythin'  —  any  prepara 
tions  to  make,  ye'd  better  be  quick  about 
it,  sor." 

"Thank     you,"      answered      Sempland. 


238    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"You  hear,  dearest?  You  must  go.  I 
must  have  a  moment  to  myself  to  enable 
me  to  face  this  court-martial.  Leave  me 
now,  I  beg  of  you.  Go  home.  After  it 
is  over  I  shall  ask  permission  of  the  gen 
eral  to  have  you  visit  me." 

"  I  cannot  go,"  said  Fanny  Glen,  archly. 

"Why  not?" 

"  I  am  a  prisoner." 

"  A  prisoner  !     What  for  ? " 

"  For  treachery,  disobedience  of  orders, 
oh,  everything !  "  she  answered  glibly. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  General  Beauregard  sent  me  here  this 
morning.  The  court-martial  is  for  me, 
not  you.  They're  going  to  set  you  free 
and  I  am  to  be  tried  and  shot,  it  may 
be." 

"Nonsense!     How  did  he  find  out?" 

"  I   told    him   myself.     I   didn't   disobey 


THE  WOMAN  EXPLAINS          239 

you,  you  see.  You  had  not  forbidden  me 
to  do  it  then." 

"What  did  you  tell  him?" 

"  That  Admiral  Vernon  was  my  father, 
and  that  I  kept  you  —  I  —  I  —  loved  you." 

"Great  heavens!     And  —  " 

"  And  then  he  called  the  adjutant-gen 
eral  and  they  whispered  together  a  moment, 
and  then  he  sent  me  here." 

"  Why  did  you  do  it  ? "  cried  the  man, 
reproachfully.  "  They  will  punish  you  in 
some  way.  I  would  rather  have  died  than 
have  you  tell.  What  shall  we  do  now  ? " 


CHAPTER    XV 
THE    GENERAL'S   LITTLE   COMEDY 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE  GENERAL'S  LITTLE  COMEDY 

THERE  was  a  hurried  movement  on  the 
part  of  the  sentry  in  the  corridor,  followed 
by  the  trampling  of  many  feet.  Sabres 
clanked,  voices  broke  the  stillness.  Fanny 
Glen  was  really  frightened  now.  They  were 
coming.  They  were  there.  What  were 
they  about  to  do  to  her?  Of  course,  they 
would  not  shoot  her,  —  she  was  reasonably 
sure  of  that,  —  but  in  any  event  she  was 
certain  to  be  parted  from  her  lover.  She 
drew  nearer  to  him  as  the  door  was  opened. 

On  the  threshold  stood  General  Beau- 
regard  himself,  his  visage  charged  with  an 
unusual  degree  of  solemnity.  Back  of 
243 


244   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

him  were  grouped  the  members  of  his  staff 
and  others  who  had  been  on  the  wharf  the 
night  before.  They  were  all  in  full  uni 
form  and  made  a  most  impressive  sight. 
It  was  a  highly  dramatic  moment,  full  of 
menace  to  the  woman.  As  for  Sempland, 
he  scarcely  comprehended  it. 

"  The  court-martial !  "  whispered  Fanny 
Glen,  fearfully,  instinctively  shrinking  closer 
to  Sempland  as  she  spoke. 

That  officer  knew,  of  course,  that  no 
court-martial  was  ever  inaugurated  in  that 
manner,  but  he  said  nothing.  He  did  not 
understand.  He  would  await  develop 
ments.  Something  was  in  the  wind,  cer 
tainly.  What  could  it  be  ? 

"  Captain  Sempland,"  said  the  general, 
formally,  advancing  further  into  the  room, 
followed  by  the  rest,  "you  are  relieved 
from  arrest,  sir,  and  —  " 


THE  GENERAL'S  LITTLE  COMEDY    245 

"  Captain  Sempland  ?  "  murmured  Semp- 
land  in  great  surprise. 

"Yes,  sir,  Captain  Sempland,"  with 
marked  emphasis  on  the  title.  "  You  are 
restored  to  duty  forthwith,  sir,"  continued 
the  general,  smiling  at  his  astonished  sub 
ordinate.  "  The  charges  of  neglect  of  duty 
and  disobedience  of  orders  which  I  made 
last  night  and  repeated  this  morning  are 
withdrawn.  There  never  was  any  suspicion 
of  cowardice  or  treason.  Although  you 
did  not  succeed,  having  been  prevented  by 
causes  beyond  your  control,  as  I  now  learn, 
from  taking  out  the  David,  yet  your  earnest 
desire  to  do  so,  the  fact  that  you  volunteered 
for  the  detail,  and  even  besought  me  to  give 
it  to  you,  the  extreme  measures  to  which 
you  resorted  to  escape  from  confinement 
in  order  to  carry  out  your  orders,  even 
going  so  far  as  to  threaten  a  lady,  warrant 


246   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

me  in  promoting  you.  Here,'*  receiving 
the  weapon  from  one  of  the  staff  officers, 
"is  your  sword.  I  return  it  to  you." 
Next  the  general  drew  some  papers  from 
his  coat.  "  Here  is  your  commission  as 
captain.  Here  are  orders  which  take  you 
to  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  They 
are  accompanied  by  a  personal  letter  to  my 
friend,  General  Lee,  in  which  I  have  asked 
him  to  give  you  a  position  on  his  staff 
with  all  its  opportunities  for  useful  service 
and  distinction.  May  you  reflect  credit,  as 
I  have  no  doubt  you  will,  upon  the  South, 
the  state  of  South  Carolina,  and  all  our 
hopes  and  ambitions  for  you.  Gentlemen," 
to  the  others,  "  you  are  all  witnesses  to 
this  rehabilitation  of  Captain  Sempland." 

The  room  was  instantly  filled  with  the 
sound  of  hearty  cheering  from  the  officers 
in  attendance. 


THE  GENERAL'S  LITTLE  COMEDY    247 

"  General  Beauregard,  you  have  over 
whelmed  me,"  faltered  Sempland  as  soon 
as  he  could  make  himself  heard.  "  I  have 
done  nothing  to  deserve  this  honor." 

Beauregard  stepped  nearer  to  him. 

"You  would  have  sacrificed  your  life 
for  a  woman,"  whispered  the  gallant  little 
general,  approvingly.  "  I  understand." 
Then  he  said  aloud :  "  See  that  you  strive 
to  merit  our  trust  and  confidence  in  the 
future,  then.  You  will  have  many  chances 
for  great  deeds  with  General  Lee.  Would 
that  I  were  with  him  ! " 

"  General,"  said  the  young  man,  "  your 
kindness  emboldens  me.  This  lady, 
sir  —  " 

"  Is  a  prisoner,"  said  the  general,  shortly. 

"  I  know  it,  sir.  She  committed  a  terri 
ble  blunder,  yet  —  " 

"  Gentlemen,"    said    Beauregard,    turning 


248   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

to  his  staff  officers,  "  you  know  the  story 
of  last  night.  How  this  lady  interfered  to 
prevent  an  important  military  manoeuvre, 
the  object  of  which  was  the  destruction  of 
the  Federal  flagship  by  a  torpedo,  and 
incidentally  the  probable  death  of  Captain 
Sempland.  Such  conduct  is  essentially 
treasonable,  especially  in  a  state  of  war. 
What  is  the  punishment  for  such  actions 
in  the  face  of  the  enemy  ? " 

"  Death,  sir,"  returned  the  adjutant- 
general,  solemnly. 

"Are  you  all  agreed  as  to  that,  gentle 
men  ? " 

"  We  are,  sir,"  was  the  unanimous  reply. 

They  had  been  well  tutored  in  the  little 
comedy  which  the  general,  had  arranged, 
it  was  evident. 

"  Impossible,  sir  !  "  cried  Sempland,  in 
agony.  They  deceived  even  him  with  their 


THE  GENERAL'S  LITTLE  COMEDY    249 

seriousness.  "  This  is  most  irregular !  I 
protest  —  " 

"  I  am  ready,  gentlemen,"  whispered 
Fanny  Glen,  bravely,  turning  very  white  as 
she  spoke,  and  not  appearing  at  all  ready 
in  fact,  "I  —  I  —  am  glad  to  —  suffer,  since 
Captain  Sempland  — "  she  faltered  with  a 
miserable  attempt  at  courage. 

"  One  moment,  please,"  broke  in  the 
little  .general,  imperatively.  "  But,  gentle 
men,  the  culprit  has  otherwise  deserved 
well  of  her  country,  as  you  know.  During 
the  war  her  services  in  the  general  hospital 
have  been  beyond  price.  She  is  a  woman. 
On  the  ship  which  it  was  proposed  to 
blow  up  was  her  father,  Admiral  Vernon,  a 
South  Carolinian,  whose  ideas  of  duty  led 
him  to  continue  his  services  to  the  United 
States.  These  are  mitigating  circumstances. 
Here  is  no  treachery  to  the  South,  merely 


250   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

a  woman's  desire  to  save  her  father  from 
a  swift  and  sudden  death.  No  mischance 
has  arisen  from  her  action.  Major  Lacy 
took  out  the  boat  with  his  usual  distinc 
tion,  although,  fortunately  for  the  lady  and 
the  admiral,  the  Housatonic  seems  to  have 
suffered  instead  of  the  Wabash.  Under 
these  circumstances,  I  think,  it  does  not 
behoove  us  to  be  too  severe.  You  agree 
with  me,  I  am  sure,  gentlemen  ? " 

"  Certainly,  sir,  we  do,"  replied  the 
officers  in  chorus. 

"Thank  you!  thank  you!"  exclaimed 
Fanny  Glen,  gratefully,  with  boundless  re 
lief  in  her  voice. 

By  this  time  she  was  as  close  to  Semp- 
land  as  she  could  get,  and  entirely  uncon 
scious  of  what  he  was  doing,  the  latter 
had  thrown  his  arm  protectingly  around 
her  waist. 


THE  GENERAL'S  LITTLE  COMEDY    251 

"Wait,  Miss  Glen,"  said  the  general, 
severely,  lifting  his  hand  and  checking  her 
further  speech,  "  you  cannot  think  to  escape 
scot  free.  Such  actions  cannot  go  entirely 
unpunished.  So  long  as  Miss  Fanny 
Glen  exists  she  must  suffer  for  her  actions. 
You  are  agreed  with  me,  gentlemen  ? " 

"We  are,  sir." 

It  was  remarkable  the  unanimity  with 
which  they  all  supported  their  general's 
decisions  on  so  serious  a  matter,  and  prac 
tically  without  deliberation. 

"  Captain  Sempland,  as  a  soldier,  I  am 
sure  you  will  acquiesce  in  the  views  of 
your  brother  officers." 

Sempland  bit  his  lip.  Fanny  Glen 
nestled  closer  to  him  and  looked  up  at 
him  beseechingly. 

"Oh,  General!"  he  said  at  last. 
"Isn't  there  some  way  out  of  it?" 


252   LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

"  There  may  be,"  said  the  general, 
solemnly.  "  Let  me  think  a  moment. 
Suppose  —  ah,  suppose,  Miss  Fanny  Glen 
were  to  disappear  ?  " 

"But  where  can  I  go,  sir?"  asked  the 
girl,  nervously.  "All  that  I  love  — "  she 
observed  a  smile  flickering  upon  the 
general's  lips  as  she  glanced  at  Sempland. 
"  I  mean  everybody  and  everything  that 
I  love  is  here."  She  stamped  her  foot 
impatiently.  "  You  won't  send  me  to  the 
Union  fleet?  I  know  my  father  is  safe 
—  but  I  love  the  South.  I  will  never 
do  anything  wrong  again  if  you  won't 
send  me  away ! "  she  pleaded. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  sweeping  promise,  one 
she  could  scarcely  have  kept. 

"  There  are  other  ways  by  which  Miss 
Fanny  Glen  might  disappear,"  said 
Beauregard,  gravely. 


THE  GENERAL'S  LITTLE  COMEDY    253 

"How,  sir?" 

"You  might  change  your  name — 
again ! " 

"  Change  my  name  ? " 

"  Yes.  You  might  become  —  Mrs. 
Rhett  Sempland,  let  us  say ! " 

"  O-o-oh ! "  cried  the  girl,  blushing 
furiously  and  drawing  away  from  her 
lover's  side. 

"  Quite  so,"  answered  the  general  with 
deep  gravity,  too  deep  not  to  be  suspi 
cious,  while  Sempland's  heart  leaped  with 
happiness.  This  was  the  meaning  of  the 
general's  little  play,  then  ? 

"  Proceedings  which  would  have  to  be 
instituted  against  Fanny  Glen  could  then 
be  allowed  to  drop,"  continued  Beaure- 
gard,  enjoying  the  situation  immensely. 
"  Is  not  that  a  solution,  gentlemen  ?  "  he 
asked,  throwing  back  his  head  and  laugh- 


254    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

ing  cheerfully  at  the  pleasant  ending  of 
the  little  comedy  he  had  planned,  which 
pleased  the  small  audience  hugely. 

"  That  is  the  happiest  of  all  solutions, 
sir,"  said  Sempland,  taking  Fanny  Glen's 
hands. 

"  I  won't  be  married  simply  to  save 
my  life,"  said  the  girl. 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  the  general. 
"Yet  either  you  must  be  court-martialled 
or  Mr.  Sempland  will  be." 

"I  —  I  might  do  it  —  to  save  —  his 
life,  sir,"  she  said,  blushing  furiously  again. 

"However  it  is  done  — "  said  Semp 
land,  "  however  it  may  be  brought  about, 
it  satisfies  me  completely." 

" f  If  'twere  done  when  'tis  done,  'twere 
well  'twere  done  quickly,'  '  quoted  the 
general  with  striking  appositeness,  greatly 
delighted  at  the  outcome  of  the  affair. 


THE  GENERAL'S  LITTLE  COMEDY    255 

"  I  agree  with  you  entirely,  sir,"  re 
turned  Sempland,  smiling  —  it  was  the 
part  of  wisdom  for  a  captain  to  agree 
with  a  general  always,  and  the  way  of 
prudence  was  the  path  of  pleasure  in  this 
instance. 

"  Captain  Sempland,"  said  Beauregard, 
"  your  orders  need  not  be  carried  out 
until  to-morrow.  There  will  be  time 
enough  before  that  time  for  a  wedding, 
in  which,  in  the  absence  of  her  father,  I 
promise  myself  the  pleasure  of  giving 
away  the  bride.  Now,  gentlemen,  we 
will  leave  the  —  ah  —  two  culprits  to  talk 
it  over  for  a  few  moments.  Let  me 
know  your  decision,  Miss  Glen,  as  soon 
as  may  be,  that  I  may  decide  whether  to 
assemble  or  dissolve  the  court.  And  rest 
assured  the  happenings  of  last  night  and 
this  morning,  so  far  as  they  concern 


256    LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

Miss   Glen,  are   not  to   be  spoken  outside 
this   room   by   any   one.      Good   morning." 

<c  Fanny  Glen,"  said  Sempland,  when 
they  were  alone  once  more,  "  are  you 
marrying  me  to  save  yourself? " 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  Rhett  Sempland,  are  you  marrying 
me,"  she  asked  *  in  return,  "  to  save 
yourself? " 

"  I  am  marrying  you,  you  little  dar 
ling,  as  you  very  well  know,  because  I 
love  you." 

"And  that  is  my  reason,  too,"  said 
Fanny  Glen. 

"  Fanny  Glen,"  he  said  imperiously, 
"  come  here ! " 

And  to  him  she  came  with  astonishing 
meekness. 

"  Put  your  arms  around  my  neck  !  " 


THE  GENERAL:S  LITTLE  COMEDY    257 

And  obediently  there  she  put  them ! 
"  Lift  up  your  head  !  " 
Slowly,  surely,  up  it  came ! 
After     all,     Fanny     Glen     did     love     a 
masterful  man ! 


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